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7h ago

Trump Says U.S. Is Trying to Regain Bagram Air Base, Citing China

He links the push to the base’s proximity to Chinese nuclear sites.

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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Taliban military helicopters fly to celebrate the third anniversary of Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan, at the Bagram Air Base, in Bagram, Parwan province on August 14, 2024. Taliban authorities kicked off celebrations of the third anniversary of their rule over Afghanistan on August 14, at the former US Bagram air base. (Photo by Ahmad SAHEL ARMAN / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD SAHEL ARMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • At a UK press conference, President Donald Trump said the administration is seeking to take back Bagram Air Base, which the Taliban has controlled since the 2021 U.S. withdrawal.
  • CNN reports Trump has pressed national security officials for months on options, with goals cited by sources including surveillance of China, counterterrorism operations and potential access to Afghanistan’s minerals.
  • An Afghan foreign ministry official rejected any renewed U.S. military presence and denied Chinese control of Bagram, and China urged respect for Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
  • Current and former U.S. officials warned that retaking and holding Bagram would require a large force akin to a re-invasion, and a U.S. official told Reuters there is no active plan to seize the base.
  • Trump offered no details of negotiations, saying only that the Taliban “need things from us,” while emphasizing Bagram’s strategic location near China.