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Trump threatens Afghanistan: Bad things will happen if you don't give us back Bagram base

2025-09-21 14:47:41Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Trump threatens Afghanistan: Bad things will happen if you don't give us
Donald Trump

United States President Donald Trump has threatened Afghanistan that "bad things will happen" if it does not return the Bagram air base to the United States.

Afghan Taliban officials objected, saying the deal was "not possible" and urged the United States to respect previous agreements not to interfere in Afghan affairs.

Two days ago, Trump announced that Washington intends to retake the large air base north of Kabul, which was under United States control until the sudden withdrawal of the American military in 2021.

Trump has cited the base's location near China as the main reason for the US retaking it.

"If Afghanistan does not return Bagram Air Base to those who built it, the United States of America, bad things will happen," Trump said on the evening of September 20 in a post on social media.

Later, speaking to reporters at the White House, he repeated the threat, but did not elaborate or explain what bad things might happen.

"We're talking to Afghanistan now, and we want it [the base] back, and we want it quickly, immediately. And if they don't do it - if they don't do it, you'll find out for yourself what I'm going to do," he told reporters.

Speaking to Afghan media on Sunday, Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Taliban's chief of staff for the Ministry of Defense, said that "some people" want to retake the base through a "political agreement." He did not specify who he was referring to.

"No agreement, even for an inch of Afghan land, is possible. We don't need it," he was quoted as saying.

In a post on X, a spokesman for the Taliban government called on Washington to respect the 2020 Doha Agreement, which paved the way for the withdrawal of US forces in 2021.

"The United States pledged that 'it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor will it interfere in its internal affairs,'" spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said.

"Therefore, it is imperative that they adhere to their commitments," he added.

The Taliban - battered by unrest, natural disasters, poverty and terrorist attacks - have attempted to improve ties with the international community, and Russia remains the only country to have established diplomatic relations with them so far.

Two days ago in London, Trump implied that the Taliban were talking to Washington about unspecified issues.

"We're trying to take it back because they [Taliban leaders] need things from us," Trump said at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

"But one of the reasons we want that base is because, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So, a lot of things are happening," Trump added.

Bagram Air Base is a military airport located about 40 kilometers north of Kabul. It was built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, and then served as the main hub for US and NATO operations in Afghanistan from 2001 until the withdrawal of US forces in August 2021.

Western countries have said that Afghanistan must first improve its human rights record, especially regarding the treatment of women and girls.

According to the Wall Street Journal, which cited its own sources, American officials and the Taliban have discussed the possibility of the US military using Bagram as a "launch point" for its counterterrorism missions.

Experts say that, even if the Taliban allow the US military into Bagram, the base would need to be protected from threats from the terrorist groups Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, which still operate in Afghanistan.

Bagram, although built by the Soviets, was modernized and greatly expanded by the US military. It was the largest US base in Afghanistan and served as the central command during the 20-year occupation.

The Bagram base was handed over to the then Afghan government in July 2021, a few weeks before the chaotic withdrawal of US troops and the Taliban's takeover of power.

Washington has maintained a minimal level of public engagement with Afghanistan since the Taliban's return to power, largely limited to hostage talks.

Afghanistan continues to be an isolated country on the international stage and faces many difficulties in attracting foreign economic support and private investment.

Taliban officials rejected Trump's request for the possible return of the US to Bagram, but left open the possibility of talks towards improving relations.

"Without any US military presence in Afghanistan, both countries need to engage with each other and can have political and economic relations on the basis of mutual respect and common interests," Zakir Jalaly, a Taliban Foreign Ministry official, said on social media./REL


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