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The US President has warned of ‘bad things’ if Afghanistan refuses to hand back Bagram Air Base. Kabul has rejected the demand outright, with China firmly backing its stand
Donald Trump said the United States was “trying to get it back”. (Image: AFP)
US President Donald Trump has reopened debate around Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, which was abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal of American troops under Joe Biden. Speaking alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on a state visit, he said the United States was “trying to get it back”.
On Truth Social, Trump issued a direct warning: “If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” He later repeated that his administration was in talks with Kabul, telling reporters, “We’re talking now to Afghanistan, and we want it back, and we want it back soon. If they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m going to do.”
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The US president has also called the Biden administration’s withdrawal a “total disaster.” NBC quoted him saying, “We gave it to them for nothing… We want that base back.”
Why Is Bagram Air Base Considered Strategic?
Bagram is situated around 60 kilometres north of Kabul and was the largest American facility in Afghanistan. During the peak of the war in 2012, more than 100,000 US troops passed through the base, according to NBC. Trump has repeatedly described it as “one of the most powerful bases in the world,” highlighting that its 11,800-foot runway could accommodate heavy bombers and cargo aircraft.
The base had extensive infrastructure, including hardened shelters, hospitals, fuel depots, and a sprawling prison complex, Hindustan Times noted. For soldiers, it also hosted fast-food outlets such as Burger King and Pizza Hut, alongside shops that sold everything from electronics to Afghan carpets.
Bagram was regarded as the “crown jewel” of US presence in Afghanistan before the 2021 pullout. Its long runways, secure shelters, and logistical network made it capable of supporting full-scale operations.
Strategically, Bagram sits at the junction of Iran, Pakistan, China’s Xinjiang and Central Asia. Its location has long been viewed as a vantage for surveillance and signals intelligence across Eurasia, from Russian military activity to Chinese projects, as per the Economic Times.
The China Factor In Trump’s Demand
Trump’s strongest argument centres on geography. “It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said earlier this week.
A report by the Orion Policy Institute pointed out that Bagram is less than 1,500 miles from China’s Hami missile field in Xinjiang and under 500 miles from the Afghan-Xinjiang border. The Pentagon estimates that Beijing already possesses over 600 operational warheads and could cross 1,000 by 2030.
China has rejected Trump’s remarks. Its foreign ministry said “stirring up tension” would not be welcomed. Lin Jian, spokesperson for the ministry, told reporters in Beijing that China “respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.”
How Does Counterterrorism Factor In?
Bagram had been critical for US missions against Al Qaeda, ISIS-K, and the Pakistani Taliban. UN officials in 2025 warned ISIS-K remains “one of the most dangerous branches,” active across Afghanistan, Iran and Russia. Al Qaeda has since established nine training camps in Afghanistan, while the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan staged more than 600 attacks from Afghan soil in the second half of 2024, according to a UN Security Council report.
For Trump, regaining Bagram would restore an American foothold against such groups.
How Has The Taliban Responded?
Afghanistan’s Taliban government has flatly rejected Trump’s demand. Fasihuddin Fitrat, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, as reported by Bloomberg, said: “Afghanistan is fully independent, governed by its own people, and not dependent on any foreign power. We do not fear any bully or aggressor.”
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated that “not even one metre of Afghan land will be given to the Americans.” Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid recalled in an interview with Al Jazeera that the Taliban had already refused a US request to retain Bagram back in 2020. “Our answer was, if you don’t leave and want bases, we are ready to fight you for another 20 years,” he said.
Taliban officials such as Zakir Jalal, posted on X, “Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another… without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan.”
“Kabul is ready to pursue political and economic ties with Washington based on mutual respect and shared interests,” Jalal said.
What Do Analysts And Experts Say?
Analysts have warned that reoccupying Bagram is unrealistic. Bill Roggio of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told the Long War Journal that the Taliban and China would both resist a US return, and any reoccupation would require significant troop deployments, break the Doha Agreement, and strain ties with Pakistan, Russia and Iran.
Trump’s claim that the US “built” Bagram is inaccurate. The air base was originally constructed by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, became the hub of Moscow’s operations during the 1979–89 occupation, and later shifted hands among Afghan factions before being redeveloped by US and NATO forces after 2001. Sweden-based journalist Mukhtar Wafayee posted on X that Washington had spent vast sums on the site, turning it into the main American hub in the Af-Pak region.
Other voices flagged contradictions in Trump’s stance. Bangkok-based former US Marine Brian Berletic wrote on X that Trump once presented himself as a “peace president” who ended wars, but was now threatening Afghanistan with “bad things” over Bagram.
Afghan political analyst Idris Mohammadi Zazi told Xinhua the demand amounted to “an information campaign against Afghanistan” aimed at undermining its political and economic systems. Wang Erfeng, associate researcher at Lanzhou University’s Afghanistan Studies Centre, also told Xinhua that Trump’s comments revealed his attempt to project a tough foreign-policy image.
What Is The History Of Bagram?
According to India Today, the Bagram Air Base was originally built in the 1950s with Soviet assistance during the regime of Mohammad Daoud Khan. During the Soviet occupation from 1979 to 1989, it was the central hub for Moscow’s air operations, launching thousands of missions against the Mujahideen, reported Kabul-based Tolo News.
After the fall of Mohammad Najibullah’s government and years of civil war, the base was redeveloped once more with the arrival of American and NATO forces in 2001. Under US command, Bagram became a “military city” with two runways over three kilometres long, barracks, hospitals, dining facilities, gyms and shops.
For nearly two decades, Bagram was the central hub of US operations in Afghanistan until the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal in 2021, when Taliban forces seized Kabul.
What Next For Trump’s Demand?
Trump has avoided giving a clear answer about whether he would deploy troops to retake the base. “We won’t talk about that,” he told reporters, according to Al Jazeera.
For now, Kabul remains firm in rejecting the demand, Beijing has publicly backed Afghanistan’s sovereignty, and experts have called reoccupation impractical.
About the Author
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar…Read More
Karishma Jain, Chief Sub Editor at News18.com, writes and edits opinion pieces on a variety of subjects, including Indian politics and policy, culture and the arts, technology and social change. Follow her @kar… Read More
September 22, 2025, 09:19 IST
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