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2w ago

Trump Says U.S. Is Trying to Reclaim Bagram Air Base From Taliban

Analysts warn retaking the Taliban-held base would require a major operation with no active U.S. plan in place.

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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President Donald Trump and Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer leave after a joint press conference at Chequers near Aylesbury, England, Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Overview

  • At a joint news conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, President Donald Trump said the U.S. is seeking to take back Bagram, citing the base’s proximity to Chinese nuclear and missile sites.
  • CNN reported that Trump has pressed national security aides since at least March to explore regaining Bagram for China surveillance, counterterrorism against ISIS, access to minerals, and a possible diplomatic footprint.
  • Taliban and Afghan foreign ministry officials rejected the notion of a U.S. return and denied Chinese control of the facility, and China’s Foreign Ministry criticized efforts that could heighten regional tensions.
  • Current and former U.S. officials and experts say securing and holding Bagram would resemble a re‑invasion, with one estimate of about 10,000 troops, and a U.S. official told Reuters there is no active planning to seize the base.
  • Bagram, once the largest U.S. hub in Afghanistan, has been under Taliban control since the 2021 withdrawal, when nearly 900 C‑17 loads were removed and roughly 16,000 pieces of equipment were destroyed.