President Donald Trump said this week that the United States is seeking to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, describing the site as a critical asset in deterring China. The Taliban, however, flatly rejected the idea of a renewed U.S. military presence.
Trump raised the issue during a joint press conference in London on Thursday with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. According to Reuters, he criticized President Joe Biden’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying Washington “gave the base to the Taliban for nothing.” Trump added that “we’re trying to get it back … because they need things from us,” signaling that discussions were underway.
The president has repeatedly tied Bagram’s value to its geography. As reported by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Trump has emphasized that the base sits “one hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” a location he argues gives the United States strategic leverage in its competition with Beijing.
Taliban officials responded swiftly. Zakir Jalaly of the Taliban Foreign Ministry told Reuters that Afghanistan remains open to political and economic ties with Washington “based on mutual respect and shared interests.” But, he stressed, “no U.S. service members” would be permitted to return.
The rejection was underscored by Taliban deputy information minister Muhajir Farahi, who shared a pointed verse on the social platform X. In the poem, he wrote that those who “once smashed their heads against the rocks with us, their minds have still not found peace.” The line was widely interpreted by regional analysts as a rebuke to Trump’s overtures, according to Reuters.
Bagram, built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, served as the hub of U.S. operations throughout the two-decade war in Afghanistan. After the Biden administration ordered a rapid withdrawal in August 2021, Taliban forces seized the airfield and captured large stockpiles of U.S. equipment, events documented by the Associated Press at the time.
Reports in The Wall Street Journal have indicated that American officials have quietly explored limited counterterrorism arrangements in Afghanistan. But Taliban leaders have consistently ruled out any formal U.S. military presence, framing such talks as unacceptable.
Trump’s call to retake Bagram reflects his broader effort to project American strength abroad and counter what he portrays as mounting threats from China. For now, however, the Taliban’s public stance suggests Washington’s path back into Afghanistan remains firmly closed.
Why Bagram Matters
Bagram Air Base, 25 miles north of Kabul, was the centerpiece of U.S. operations in Afghanistan for two decades. Built by the Soviets in the 1950s, it offered Washington unmatched reach into Central Asia.
Its importance today lies in geography. As President Donald Trump has stressed — echoed by reporting from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — Bagram is only about an hour’s flight from parts of western China, where Beijing maintains nuclear and military facilities.
Strategists cited by The Wall Street Journal say the base could serve as both a counterterrorism hub and a counterweight to China’s growing influence in the region, especially as Beijing expands its Belt and Road ties with Kabul.
Taliban officials insist no American troops will return, but analysts note that China is watching closely. As Foreign Policy reports, Beijing worries any U.S. return to Bagram could complicate its security posture in neighboring Xinjiang.