Taliban Rejects Trump’s Call to Retake Bagram Air Base

The Taliban government has ruled out any possibility of allowing the United States to regain control of Bagram air base, a key former U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, following remarks by President Donald Trump demanding its return.

Speaking on Saturday during a visit to the United Kingdom, Trump suggested that Washington should consider retaking the facility, which lies north of Kabul and once served as the backbone of U.S. operations in the country. Later, in a post on his Truth Social platform, the president warned of consequences if his demand was ignored. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” he wrote.

The following day, Fasihuddin Fitrat, Chief of Staff of the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense, dismissed any suggestion that the air base could be subject to negotiation. “Recently, some people have said that they have entered negotiations with Afghanistan for taking back Bagram Air base,” Fitrat told local media. “A deal over even an inch of Afghanistan’s soil is not possible. We don’t need it.”

The comments underscore the Taliban’s firm stance on sovereignty, particularly regarding Bagram, which has long been viewed as a symbol of foreign presence in Afghanistan. Constructed by the Soviets in the 1950s and expanded after the U.S.-led invasion in 2001, Bagram became the largest American air base in Afghanistan. It housed thousands of troops, aircraft, and a controversial detention facility throughout the two-decade war.

U.S. and NATO forces vacated the site in July 2021 in a hasty withdrawal that formed part of a deal brokered during Trump’s presidency. The sudden exit deprived the Afghan military of critical air support, and within weeks, the Western-backed government collapsed as Taliban fighters retook Kabul, marking their return to power.

Trump’s recent remarks have drawn attention to the strategic importance of Bagram, located at the crossroads of Central and South Asia and near key U.S. rivals including China, Russia, and Iran. Analysts suggest that his demand reflects growing concerns in Washington about Afghanistan’s geopolitical role, as well as Trump’s efforts to project strength on foreign policy issues ahead of the U.S. election season.

For the Taliban, however, the base is now a powerful emblem of victory and independence. Officials have repeatedly rejected the idea of any foreign military presence returning to Afghanistan. Fitrat’s emphatic refusal on Sunday reaffirmed that position, signaling that the Taliban leadership intends to draw a firm line on sovereignty.

“Bagram is ours,” one Taliban spokesperson told Afghan media in July. “It will never again be a place for occupiers.”