Trump Threatens Retaliation if Taliban Doesn’t Return Bagram air Base
Kabul, Afghanistan – Former U.S. President Donald Trump issued a stark warning to the Taliban, threatening unspecified “bad things” will happen if the Bagram Air Base is not returned to those who built it. The base, onc the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan and a central hub for two decades of operations against the Taliban, was abandoned by U.S. forces in July 2021, just weeks before the taliban regained control of the country.
The demand comes amid ongoing tensions between the Taliban and the international community, especially regarding the group’s human rights record and it’s commitment to preventing Afghanistan from becoming a haven for terrorist groups. The fate of Bagram Air Base is symbolic of the broader struggle over Afghanistan’s future and the legacy of the U.S. intervention. While the Taliban has engaged in discussions with U.S. officials regarding prisoner exchanges, diplomatic relations, and economic investment, they have dismissed any negotiation over the base itself.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid responded to Trump’s threat, stating that afghanistan already endured “bad things” during twenty years of U.S. occupation. Mujahid emphasized Afghanistan’s resistance to foreign control, asserting, “Afghanistan is not a country that can be occupied or conquered.” He added that any future engagement must be “politically, diplomatically, and rationally” with the Afghan people. Mujahid confirmed conversations with U.S.officials but reiterated that Bagram was not a subject of discussion.