KABUL: The Taliban have rejected the return of the US military to Afghanistan after President Donald Trump claimed that Washington sought to regain control of a key air base abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal.
Bagram Air Base, some 50 km north of Kabul, was built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s. Following the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, it was taken over by Americans and served as their largest base and center during the two-decade occupation.
Trump made the unexpected announcement of his administration’s efforts to reclaim the base during his UK visit, at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday.
He said his administration had been working to “get it back,” as it was an important foothold due to its proximity to China.
“We gave it to them for nothing,” he said. “One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
The Afghan government responded almost immediately by dismissing the possibility of reestablishing a US military presence in the country.
The full withdrawal of all US and NATO troops from Afghanistan was agreed during US–Taliban negotiations in Doha, which took place in 2018–2020, under Trump’s first administration.
“Afghans have never accepted a military presence in history, and this possibility was also completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement. However, the door is open for other forms of engagement,” Zakir Jalaly, an official at the Afghan Foreign Ministry, said in a post on X.
“Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with each other and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect and shared interests — without the US having any military presence in any part of Afghanistan.”
The US has not formally recognized the new Afghan government after the Taliban took control of the country following the American and NATO withdrawal.
Talks between the two sides have so far been limited to hostage negotiations, including discussions last week between authorities in Kabul and a US delegation led by Adam Boehler, the Trump administration’s special envoy for hostage response.
In March, Trump said that the US should have stayed at Bagram “not because of Afghanistan but because of China,” adding that the facility was “now under China’s influence,” which the Taliban denied.
“Bagram Airbase holds significant strategic value for the US in countering the influence of China, Russia, and Iran — three major competitors in the region. Granting the US control over the base would enhance its capacity to monitor Chinese military activity, carry out limited strikes, conduct covert operations, and gather vital intelligence,” Abdul Saboor Mubariz, board member of the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies in Kabul, told Arab News.
While rejecting the US plan may further strain Kabul’s relations with Washington, cause further sanctions and delay prospects for international recognition, Mubariz did not expect the Taliban to allow renewed American military presence.
“As long as the existing government remains in power, such cooperation appears improbable unless there is a substantial shift in policy,” he said.
At the same time, the air base’s relevance has grown for the US in the wake of China’s military technology advancement and closer alliances with Russia, North Korea and member countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, according to Alef Khan Atif, political science lecturer at Dawat University in Kabul.
“Securing access to Bagram would enhance US influence across Central and South Asia, as well as the Middle East. It would provide a critical foothold for intelligence operations and military oversight in these regions, strengthening America’s strategic reach,” he said.
“Given Bagram’s proximity to major geopolitical rivals such as China, Russia, and Iran, maintaining a presence at the base is essential for the US to reinforce its global standing and regional dominance.”
