Taliban Rejects Trump’s Demand to Retake Bagram Air Base

The Taliban government has dismissed the possibility of allowing the United States to reclaim Bagram air base, a former hub of American military operations in Afghanistan, after U.S. President Donald Trump suggested he wanted it back.

On Saturday, Trump threatened Afghanistan with unspecified consequences if the Taliban refused to return the base, which lies north of Kabul and once served as the centerpiece of the U.S.-led war effort. “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” the president wrote on his Truth Social platform.

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

His remarks underline the Taliban’s refusal to compromise over one of the most symbolic military sites in the country. Built by the Soviets in the 1950s, Bagram grew into the largest U.S. air base in Afghanistan after Washington invaded in 2001 to oust the Taliban following the September 11 attacks. At its peak, it housed tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO troops, along with a massive detention facility.

The U.S. military abandoned Bagram in July 2021 in a rushed withdrawal that marked the beginning of the end for the Western-backed Afghan government. Within weeks, the Afghan army collapsed without American air support, and Taliban forces seized Kabul in a stunning return to power. The chaotic U.S. evacuation later that summer, including scenes of desperation at Kabul airport, drew global criticism and remains a sensitive political issue in Washington.

Trump, who brokered the original deal with the Taliban to end America’s longest war, has in recent months spoken more openly about the possibility of restoring U.S. control over Bagram. His latest comments came during a state visit to the United Kingdom, where he raised the idea of retaking the base.

Analysts say Trump’s demand reflects both political messaging at home and strategic concerns about Afghanistan’s proximity to China, Russia, and Iran. But Taliban leaders have repeatedly stressed that foreign forces will not be allowed to reestablish a presence on Afghan soil.

For now, the Taliban appears determined to draw a red line over Bagram, framing the base as a potent symbol of sovereignty. “A deal is not possible,” Fitrat declared, reinforcing the government’s position that Afghanistan’s territory is not up for negotiation.