Trump warns Afghanistan over Bagram Airbase, threatens consequences

(Web Deks): US President Donald Trump has threatened Afghanistan with serious consequences over the refusal to return Bagram Airbase.

In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, President Donald Trump wrote, “If Afghanistan does not hand over Bagram Airbase to its builders — the United States of America — there will be bad consequences.”

It is worth noting that during his visit to the United Kingdom on September 18, President Trump stated in a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that his administration is trying to regain control of Bagram Airbase from the Taliban. However, few details have emerged about these secret negotiations.

Trump explained that one of the key reasons for this move is the presence of a Chinese nuclear weapons development site near the Bagram base. He expressed regret that during former President Joe Biden’s administration, the US failed to maintain control of Bagram during the chaotic withdrawal.

Although the interim Afghan government has not officially responded to Trump’s claims, a Taliban official rejected the idea of handing Bagram Airbase back to the US, stating: “President Donald Trump is talking about Bagram, but he is more of a successful businessman and deal-maker than a politician, and his mention of reclaiming Bagram seems more like a potential deal.”

Senior official from the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zakir Jalali, posted on platform X that Afghanistan and the US need to maintain bilateral relations — but there is no need for American military presence in any part of Afghanistan. He emphasized that economic and political relations can be built on mutual respect and shared interests.

Jalali added that Afghans have never accepted foreign military presence in their history, and this possibility was completely ruled out during the Doha negotiations and agreement. However, he noted that doors remain open for other forms of cooperation.

For context, Bagram Airbase was, for nearly two decades, a vast symbol of US military power in Afghanistan and served as the center of America’s long military intervention in the country.

The Biden administration secretly vacated the base on July 1, 2021, just weeks before the chaotic US withdrawal. After the US exit, the base was handed over to Afghan forces, who later surrendered it to the Taliban.