In the event you believed that the saga of Bagram Airfield ended with the USA’ exit from Afghanistan, suppose once more. The huge base simply north of Kabul—as soon as the command middle of American navy energy within the area—is again within the information, and the intrigue is as sizzling as ever.
Trump’s Drive to Regain Bagram: What’s Behind the Effort
President Donald Trump made it official: he desires Bagram Airfield restored. At a joint press convention with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump mentioned that the administration is actively in search of to take again the bottom from the Taliban. Trump defined, “We’re making an attempt to get it again, as a result of they want issues from us. We would like that base again.” That is the primary public admission that negotiations—or no less than critical talks—could also be happening.
However why is he doing it now? Trump has been a vocal critic of the 2021 US withdrawal, calling it a”complete catastrophe” and mourning the lack of strategic property reminiscent of Bagram. The bottom’s large runway and closely fortified infrastructure have been the portal for generations of US troops and the symbol of American energy within the area.
Strategic Motivations: China, Counterterrorism, and Mineral Sources
Trump’s rationalization shouldn’t be all about battle pleasure or nostalgia. He’s connecting the place Bagram is with rising competitors from China. As Trump tells it, “One of many causes we wish the bottom is — as you realize — it’s an hour away from the place China makes its nuclear weapons.” Consultants word that China’s nuclear crops are significantly additional away, however the story highlights the bottom’s perceived strategic significance.
There may be extra to it. Sources near inside deliberations knowledgeable CNN that Trump’s group views Bagram as a doable base for counterterrorism missions, Chinese language monitoring, entry to Afghanistan’s uncommon earth minerals, and even a diplomatic embassy. All of those, nevertheless, would wish a restored US navy presence—one thing the Taliban is resisting tooth and nail.
Taliban’s Response: Rejection, Negotiation, and Sovereignty
The Taliban isn’t beating across the bush. The group’s spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, knowledgeable their official media that Bagram is within the management of the Taliban, not China, and that “Chinese language troops are usually not right here, nor do we’ve any such settlement with any nation.” The message is unmistakable: The sovereignty of Afghanistan is to not be bargained with with regards to international navy bases.
However the Taliban left the door ajar for talks. Zakir Jalaly, an Afghan international ministry spokesman, wrote on social media that whereas Washington’s navy presence is out of the query, Afghanistan stands ready to develop political and financial relations with Washington based mostly on “mutual respect and shared pursuits.” He even referred to Trump as “ businessman and negotiator, greater than a politician,” suggesting the opportunity of pragmatic engagement.
The US Withdrawal Legacy: Gear, Diplomacy, and Humanitarian Assist
The 2021 withdrawal didn’t simply depart behind empty buildings—it left billions of {dollars}’ price of US navy gear now in Taliban palms. Trump has repeatedly demanded their return, tying future humanitarian assist to the restoration of those property. Based on Trump, “If we’re going to pay billions of {dollars} a yr, inform them we’re not going to present them the cash except they offer again our navy gear.”
The Taliban, for its half, considers the gear “spoils of battle” and insists it can use it to defend Afghanistan. Mujahid has warned that any try to reclaim the gear could be met with resistance and that Afghanistan would count on substantial battle reparations for 20 years of battle.
Whereas this is occurring, the US continues to channel billions in humanitarian help to Afghanistan, primarily through the UN and screened NGOs, and imposes sanctions and doesn’t prolong recognition to the Taliban regime. The Taliban retorts that it has by no means acquired direct US financial assist and blames Washington for freezing Afghan funds.
The Broader Geopolitical Chessboard: US Leverage, Taliban Isolation, and Regional Dynamics
Trump’s advisors are satisfied that the US has leverage with the Taliban as a result of, regardless of Afghanistan’s determined want for exterior help, it’s geopolitically remoted and solely Moscow acknowledges the Taliban authorities. The Taliban is economically strained and can’t discover foreigners keen to present them a mortgage. US envoy conferences with senior Taliban officers have addressed negotiations over hostages and the discharge of American detainees, however navy presence is a pink line.
The US exit was knowledgeable by the 2020 Doha Settlement, which known as for a whole withdrawal of American forces. There was no choice to go away behind Bagram or another facility. The withdrawal was finalized by the Biden administration, and ever since, the US has stored its position restricted to humanitarian help and diplomacy.
The Unsure Street Forward: Negotiations, Recognition, and the Way forward for US-Afghan Relations
So, what lies forward for Bagram and US-Afghan relations? The Taliban insists no international troops will likely be again, however signifies a willingness to speak on different points. The US, nevertheless, below Trump, is demanding strategic property and the return of navy gear, exerting leverage by means of assist and diplomatic contact.
The way forward for Bagram Airfield is greater than a footnote in navy historical past—it’s a illustration of the modified energy steadiness in Central Asia, the unfinished work of twenty years of battle, and the tangled waltz between sovereignty, technique, and survival. As talks maintain occurring, the world waits to see if Bagram will once more be a flashpoint—or a bridge—between former foes.