Taliban rejectsTrump's demand for return of Bagram Air Base

Afghanistan have sharply rejected US threats to reclaim Bagram Air Base, emphasising that any attempt to reestablish a foreign military presence would be met with unyielding resistance. Mullah Tajmir Jawad, first deputy of the General Directorate of Intelligence, responded to calls for the US to retake the strategic airfield by saying the Afghan government would preserve the current system. Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid also said media if US don’t want to leave and want more bases then they are ready to fight for another 20 years. Hamdullah Fitrat, Deputy Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate, added that under the Doha Agreement, the United States had pledged not to use force or threats against Afghanistan and not to interfere in its internal affairs.

This reaction comes after US president Trump issued a stern warning to Afghanistan, demanding the return of the Bagram air base to the United States. The Bagram air base, once the largest US military installation in Afghanistan, was taken over by the Taliban after the withdrawal of American forces in 2021. Trump threatened “bad things” would happen to Afghanistan if it does not give back control of the Bagram air base to the United States, and declined to rule out sending in troops to retake it. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.

The sprawling airfield was the main base for American forces in Afghanistan during the two decades of war that followed the September 11, 2001, attacks in New York and Washington by al Qaeda. The base once counted fast-food restaurants like Burger King and Pizza Hut catering to U.S. troops as well as shops selling everything from electronics to Afghan rugs. It also hosted a massive prison complex.Experts say the sprawling air base would be difficult to secure initially and would require massive manpower to operate and protect.

Even if the Taliban accepted the U.S. re-occupation of Bagram following negotiations, it would need to be defended from a host of threats including Islamic State and al Qaeda militants inside Afghanistan. It could also be vulnerable to an advanced missile threat from Iran, which attacked a major U.S. air base in Qatar in June after the United States struck Iranian nuclear sites.