Overview

• In a Sept. 20 Truth Social post, President Trump warned that "bad things are going to happen" if Afghanistan does not hand Bagram Air Base back to the United States.
• Asked whether he would send troops to recapture the base, Trump declined to specify, telling reporters "we won't talk about that" while saying talks with Afghanistan are underway.
• The Wall Street Journal reported that U.S. officials discussed with Taliban representatives the possibility of allowing limited U.S. use of Bagram as a launch point for counterterrorism missions.
• Taliban officials, including Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi and spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, publicly rejected any renewed U.S. military presence and framed engagement as political or economic only.
• Trump cited Bagram’s proximity to Chinese nuclear facilities as a strategic rationale, and China’s Foreign Ministry responded that it respects Afghanistan’s sovereignty and independence.