In a recent statement on his Truth Social platform, US President Donald Trump threatened Afghanistan with unspecified consequences if it does not return Bagram Airbase to the United States. This threat comes just days after he first raised the idea of the US retaking control of the base during a state visit to the UK. Trump wrote, “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!”
When asked by reporters at the White House whether he would send US troops to retake the base, Trump did not give a direct answer, but stated, “We’re talking now to Afghanistan and we want it back and we want it back soon, right away. And if they don’t do it — if they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m gonna do.”
In response, Fasihuddin Fitrat, the chief of staff of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence, said that “some people” want to take back the base through a “political deal,” but emphasized that “a deal over even an inch of Afghanistan’s soil is not possible.”
The Afghan Taliban also issued a statement, highlighting that under the Doha Agreement, the United States “pledged that it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan.” The statement urged the US to “remain faithful to their commitments” and adopt a policy of “realism and rationality” instead of repeating “past failed approaches.”
Bagram, the largest airbase in Afghanistan, was a central hub for the US-led war against the Taliban. US and NATO troops withdrew from the base in July 2021 as part of a deal brokered by Trump with the Taliban. The loss of this crucial air power led to the rapid collapse of the Afghan military and the Taliban’s swift return to power just weeks later.
Current and former US officials have privately warned that re-occupying Bagram could be seen as a re-invasion, requiring a massive deployment of more than 10,000 troops and advanced air defenses. Experts believe it would be difficult to secure and operate, even if a deal were reached with the Taliban, as it would need to be defended from other terrorist groups like the Islamic State and Al Qaeda.
