During a joint press conference in London with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, US President Donald Trump said he intends to bring Afghanistan’s Bagram air base back under American control. The base, once the centrepiece of US and NATO operations in Afghanistan, was abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal and is currently held by the Taliban.
“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said. “One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening, but I am very disappointed in the fact that that one’s not settled.”
Trump called the facility “vital” to US national security because of its proximity to western China, where Beijing’s nuclear weapons programmes are based. He has previously called the Biden administration’s pullout from Afghanistan reckless and claimed billions of dollars of equipment were abandoned at Bagram. In February this year, he said Biden had “given up the base unnecessarily,” insisting there had been a plan to keep a limited US presence there. “This was an incredible strategic asset. We never should have left it,” Trump said.
Why Bagram matters
Bagram is located about 40 kilometres north of Kabul in Parwan province at an elevation of 1,492 metres. Originally built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s, it became one of the most strategically important US facilities in Central and South Asia. Its two runways—11,819 feet and 9,687 feet long—can handle the largest transport and combat aircraft.
At its peak under US control, Bagram functioned like a small city, hosting tens of thousands of troops, a 50-bed hospital, Western food outlets and a massive detention centre that held high-value Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners.
Analysts say its location, close to Iran, Central Asia and China’s Xinjiang province, makes it ideal for surveillance and reconnaissance missions. The Pentagon has reported that China is rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal, with about 600 operational warheads in 2024 and an expected 1,000 by 2030. Key Chinese facilities, including the Lop Nur test site and new missile silo fields, are in Xinjiang.
How Bagram fell
Bagram was the hub of US operations for nearly two decades after 9/11. It hosted the headquarters of the US Air Force’s 455th Air Expeditionary Wing and rotating coalition units. But the February 2020 Doha Agreement, signed during Trump’s first term, committed the US to withdraw all troops.
On July 1, 2021, US forces vacated Bagram in a night-time operation without notifying Afghan allies, cutting the base’s power before departing. The Afghan army took control but faced immediate looting. By August 15, the Taliban swept into Kabul, freed thousands of prisoners from Bagram’s detention centre and seized the base itself.
The Taliban pushes back
The Taliban government has firmly rejected any return of US forces. In a post on X, Taliban Foreign Ministry official Zakir Jalaly said, “Afghanistan and the US need to interact with each other and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect and common interests. The Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the door is open for further interaction.”
While the Taliban has shown some willingness to engage on humanitarian and political issues, it has drawn a clear red line on foreign troops. The group is seeking international recognition and economic relief but continues to battle threats from ISIS, al Qaeda remnants and internal factions.
Trump has hinted that negotiations could still be possible. “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” he said, suggesting aid or diplomatic concessions could be used as leverage.
Why retaking Bagram would be hard
Military experts say reclaiming Bagram would be a massive undertaking. A US official told Reuters on condition of anonymity, “It would require tens of thousands of troops to take and hold Bagram air base. It would be an isolated US enclave in a landlocked country.”
The base’s infrastructure has deteriorated since 2021, supply lines would be difficult to establish, and the vast perimeter would be hard to secure from rocket attacks or infiltration. Even if the Taliban agreed to a deal, the base would remain a target for ISIS, al Qaeda and other militants. Regional powers could also retaliate directly. In June, Iranian forces struck a major US base in Qatar after American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, highlighting such vulnerabilities.
A former senior US defence official questioned whether proximity to China justifies the risks. “I don’t think there’s a particular military advantage to being up there,” the official said. “The risks sort of outweigh the advantages.”
Where US–Taliban talks stand
Although Washington does not recognise the Taliban government, limited dialogue continues on humanitarian and security issues, including detained Americans. In recent weeks, US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler and former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad travelled to Kabul for talks with Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.
The Taliban later said it had reached a prisoner-exchange agreement aimed at normalising relations. Photos showed Boehler and Khalilzad meeting Muttaqi. The White House has not commented publicly on the outcome.
Earlier this year, in March, the Taliban released an American tourist kidnapped more than two years earlier in what was widely seen as a goodwill gesture. But there has been no indication that Bagram or other military issues were discussed.
For now, the Taliban’s position remains unchanged: no foreign troops on Afghan soil. Trump’s renewed push for Bagram highlights how the abandoned base continues to shape US strategic thinking—and the immense obstacles facing any attempt to return.
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