Overview

• Trump escalated pressure on September 20 with a Truth Social post warning that if Afghanistan does not return Bagram Air Base, "BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN."
• Days earlier in London, he said "We gave it to them for nothing" and added that the United States is trying to get the air base back.
• Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid called Bagram "Afghan soil, not a Chinese outpost," and deputy minister Muhajer Farahi told the BBC that any U.S. troop presence "is completely rejected."
• Media reports suggest limited U.S. troop deployment options have been discussed, but senior U.S. officials characterize Trump’s warning as rhetoric and say no immediate military action is planned.
• Bagram’s value is cited for monitoring western China and supporting counterterrorism against ISIS‑K, and the base has been under Taliban control since the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.