President Donald Trump has warned of “bad things” if Afghanistan does not return control of Bagram airbase to the United States, following a firm rejection from Taliban officials.
Trump made the threat in a post on Truth Social on Saturday, saying, “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!”
The warning followed earlier comments made during a press conference in London on Thursday, where Trump said the US was “trying to get it back” because “they need things from us”. He described the US withdrawal from Bagram in 2021 as “a gift” to the Taliban and called its location near China “strategically vital”.
“It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” Trump said, without providing evidence. Satellite analysis by the BBC in July found no Chinese military presence at the base and no unusual activity since the Taliban takeover.
The Taliban, who have controlled the base since the collapse of the previous Afghan government, dismissed Trump’s demand. Zakir Jalal, a senior official in the Taliban’s foreign ministry, wrote on social media that a US military return had been “completely rejected” during the original Doha talks.
“Afghans have never accepted foreign military presence, and the idea was rejected outright during negotiations,” Jalal said. He added that the Taliban was open to diplomatic and economic engagement with Washington, but not under military terms.
The remarks came after months of quiet US-Afghanistan discussions. According to sources cited by CNN, informal talks about the airbase have taken place since March, but have so far yielded no progress.
Bagram, located about 64 kilometres north of Kabul, was the central hub for US and NATO operations during the 20-year war in Afghanistan. It once housed over 100,000 US troops and was used for drone launches, prisoner detentions, and military logistics.
The US handed over the base to Afghan forces in July 2021, shortly before the Taliban seized control of the country in August. The full American withdrawal was completed under President Joe Biden, though the original exit agreement was signed by Trump in 2020.
Since returning to power, Trump has repeatedly criticised the decision to abandon Bagram. He has argued that keeping the base would have strengthened US leverage against China and allowed for continued counter-terrorism operations in the region.
“This wasn’t about Afghanistan. It was about China,” Trump said in March. “We should have never left Bagram.”
At the same time, Trump has offered no specifics on what action the US might take if the Taliban continues to reject the demand. Asked whether he would send troops to retake the base, he told reporters, “We won’t talk about that. But you’ll find out what I’m gonna do.”
Chinese officials have denied any military activity at Bagram and responded to Trump’s remarks by stating that Beijing “respects Afghanistan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty”.
Trump’s statement has sparked concerns about the future of US-Afghan relations. Since the Taliban returned to power, Washington has withheld formal recognition of their government but has continued limited diplomatic contacts, mostly focused on the release of US citizens detained in Afghanistan.
Rights groups have also voiced concern over the history of Bagram, which served as a detention site where hundreds were held for years without trial during the US-led “war on terror”. Allegations of abuse and torture have surrounded the facility since the early 2000s.
Inside Afghanistan, Taliban officials say reopening the base to the US would undermine their sovereignty and legitimacy. They have instead proposed political and trade engagement, but ruled out any military agreement.
The Taliban government has not issued an official statement beyond Jalal’s comments on social media, but a senior source in Kabul told local media that there was “no scenario” in which Bagram would be handed back to the United States.
Trump’s latest push for Bagram comes amid growing concerns in Washington about China’s influence in Central Asia and the security implications of a resurgent Taliban.
The former president’s rhetoric has drawn mixed reactions within the US. Some Republican lawmakers have backed his call for a stronger strategic presence near China, while others have warned against new military entanglements.
As the diplomatic standoff continues, the future of Bagram remains uncertain. The airbase, once the symbol of American military power in Afghanistan, now represents the enduring complications of a war that officially ended but remains politically unresolved.
(helsinki times)