Taliban officials have dismissed President Donald Trump’s public overtures to regain control of Bagram Airbase, the sprawling former hub of US military operations in Afghanistan. The rejection underscores ongoing tensions between Washington and Kabul, four years after the chaotic US withdrawal that handed the facility – and the country – to the Taliban.
Trump lamented, emphasizing the base’s massive 11,800-foot runway capable of handling heavy bombers and its purported strategic value.
The Taliban’s response was immediate and resolute. Foreign Ministry official Zakir Jalal posted on social media that any US military presence in Afghanistan has been “completely rejected” since pre-2021 negotiations, adding that Kabul is open only to “political and economic relations” built on “mutual respect and shared interests.”
Bagram, located just north of Kabul, was the nerve center for NATO operations during two decades of war following the 9/11 attacks. US forces abruptly abandoned it in July 2021 without notifying Afghan allies, leading to its swift capture by the Taliban on August 15 as the Afghan government collapsed. Today, the base serves Taliban military purposes, including helicopter operations, but remains a symbol of America’s longest war – and its bitter end.
