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United States President Donald Trump warned Saturday that “bad things” will happen if Afghanistan does not hand back control of Bagram Air Base to the United States.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
On Friday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that discussions are underway about reestablishing a small U.S. presence at the facility. “We’ll see what happens with Bagram. We’re talking to Afghanistan. It should have never been given up,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous U.S. official, reported that the Trump administration is in preliminary talks with the Taliban. The discussions, led by Adam Boehler, the U.S. special envoy for hostage response, include possible prisoner exchanges, economic arrangements and a security component.
“There was no reason to give it up ... We were going to keep Bagram, the air base,” Trump added.
Bagram, located north of Kabul, was the largest U.S. military installation during the 20-year war in Afghanistan before the full American withdrawal in 2021. It was a linchpin of the U.S.-led war effort against the Taliban, whose government Washington toppled following the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
Trump has often lamented the loss of access to Bagram, noting its proximity to China, but Thursday was the first time he has made public that he was working on the matter. "We're trying to get it back, by the way, that could be a little breaking news. We're trying to get it back because they need things from us," Trump said during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
U.S. and NATO troops chaotically pulled out of Bagram in July 2021 as part of a Trump-brokered peace deal, as the resurgent Taliban took over swaths of Afghanistan before finally taking control of the entire country. U.S. president has repeatedly criticized the loss of the base since returning to power, linking it to his attacks on his predecessor Joe Biden's handling of the U.S. pullout from Afghanistan.
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