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4h ago

Trump Says U.S. Is Trying to Reclaim Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base

Officials say the months-long effort has no announced plan.

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FILE - A gate is seen at the Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Friday, June 25, 2021. President Donald Trump has suggested he's working to reestablish a U.S. presence at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. That comes four years after America’s chaotic withdrawal from the country left the base in the Taliban’s hands. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul, File)
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An Afghan army soldier stand guard inside the prison after the American military left Bagram air base, in Parwan province north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, July 5, 2021. The U.S. left Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield after nearly 20 years, winding up its "forever war," in the night, without notifying the new Afghan commander until more than two hours after they slipped away. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Overview

  • Trump disclosed the push at a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, calling it “a little breaking news.”
  • Bagram remains under Taliban control following the 2021 U.S. withdrawal, and Taliban spokesmen have denied claims of any Chinese presence at the base.
  • CNN reports Trump has pressed national security officials since at least March to find a way to retake the airfield, citing surveillance of China, counterterrorism uses, access to rare earth mining, and a potential diplomatic foothold.
  • It is unclear whether the Taliban would relinquish the facility or whether U.S. forces would return, and neither the White House nor the Pentagon has detailed an operational path.
  • Recent contacts include meetings in Kabul by U.S. envoys focused on detainees; the Taliban said a prisoner-swap understanding was reached last week, which U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed.