Taliban Rejects Any Chance Of US President Trump’s Hope To ‘Take Back’ Afghan Airbase

Last Updated:September 19, 2025, 22:11 IST

In March, US President Donald Trump said he planned to keep Bagram airbase “not because of Afghanistan but because of China”.

Bagram has been the key airbase of NATO forces in Afghanistan for two decades. The base was handed over to the Afghan military shortly before the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

A Taliban official has rejected the idea that the US could retake Afghanistan’s Bagram airspace a day after US President Donald Trump announced plans to retake the airspace.

BBC quoted Zakir Jalal, who works in the Taliban’s foreign ministry, as saying that the idea of the US maintaining any military presence in Afghanistan was “completely” rejected during talks between the two sides before the Taliban returned to power.

Bagram has been the key airbase of NATO forces in Afghanistan for two decades. The base was handed over to the Afghan military shortly before the Taliban took over Afghanistan.

In a post on X, Jalal said: “Throughout history, Afghans have not accepted a military presence, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the doors are open to other engagement.”

On Thursday, Trump said at a press conference that the US “gave it to them for nothing”.

The complete withdrawal of US troops was part of a deal signed during Trump during his first administration in 2020, and finished under Joe Biden’s in 2021.

In March, Trump said he planned to keep Bagram airbase “not because of Afghanistan but because of China”.

Trump reiterated the importance of its location on Thursday, saying one reason to take Bagram back was because “it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” BBC reported.

According to BBC, Trump has also repeatedly said that China has since established a presence at the base, which is north of the capital, Kabul. The Taliban have denied the claim.

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