Trump Proposes for US Return to Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base to Counter China

Report by “Safarti Tarjuman” International News Desk

Washington – President Donald Trump has signaled interest in reestablishing a US military presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, four years after America’s chaotic withdrawal left the facility under Taliban control.

Speaking at a press conference alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump framed the move as part of Washington’s broader strategy to counter China, describing the proposal as “breaking news.”

“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said, referring to Bagram, once the central hub of US operations during America’s longest war.

Trump stressed that the base’s strategic value lies in its location near China:

“One of the reasons we want that base is it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said. “So a lot of things are happening.”

The Republican leader has previously criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the 2021 withdrawal, calling it “gross incompetence” that undermined US credibility and emboldened Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the following year.

During Trump’s first term, his administration negotiated the US withdrawal deal with the Taliban. However, under Biden, the departure turned disastrous: the Afghan government collapsed, 13 US service members and 170 civilians were killed in a Kabul airport bombing, and desperate crowds swarmed evacuation flights.

“We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to leave it with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram… We gave it to them for nothing,” Trump said.

It remains uncertain whether Washington has entered direct or indirect negotiations with the Taliban government regarding a return to Bagram. Still, Trump suggested that Kabul’s economic struggles and need for international recognition could provide leverage:

“We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump hinted.

Despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, US envoys and Taliban officials have recently engaged in discussions, including a March hostage release and ongoing prisoner-exchange talks.

Officials at US Central Command and the Pentagon, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s office, deferred questions to the White House. As of Thursday, the administration had not confirmed whether any planning for a return to Bagram was underway.

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