During his recent state visit to the UK, President Donald Trump said that the US is working with the ruling Taliban in Afghanistan to take back Bagram Air Base, once the USA’s most important air base in that nation. On Saturday, Trump took to Truth Social, posting,
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!! President DJT.”
The Taliban response came quickly. Their answer is "no."
A Brief History of Bagram Air Base
To say that Bagram Air Base was “built” by the US is a bit of a stretch.
The Russians initially built the base in the early 1950s when the Soviet Union and the US were jockeying for political influence in Afghanistan. When the Soviet Union shifted its focus to Cuba, the US swooped in and, in 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower landed at Bagram AB for a state visit with Afghan leaders.
With some US support, the Afghan government built the base’s original 10,000-foot runway in 1976 and, about four years later, the Soviet military took over the base after it invaded the country.
During Soviet–Afghan War, Bagram AB served as a hub for Soviet forces. Bagram was also the initial staging point for the invading Soviet forces at the beginning of the conflict. From 1986 to 1987, the Soviets based their Su-25 attack aircraft at Bagram AB, providing close air support to Soviet ground forces engaged in combat with their Afghan enemies.
After the Soviet occupation ended, two warring Afghan factions – the Northern Alliance and Taliban – often fought over control of Bagram AB. In 2000, the Taliban finally took control of the base and forced the Northern Alliance farther north.
Twenty Years in Afghanistan
One month after the terrorist attacks on 9/11, the US and its coalition partners began their attack on Afghanistan to remove the Taliban from power.
A British special forces team took control of Bagram AB shortly after the war began and, by January 2002, more than 400 troops, mostly Army personnel and special operators, had set up shop at the base.
Shortly thereafter, personnel began to repair the runway and, by June 2002, more than 7,000 personnel from the US and other nations were in position, dealing with almost daily rocket attacks.
In 2006, construction was completed on a second and much longer runway, enabling larger aircraft like the C-5 Galaxy and Boeing 747 to operate from the airfield. The base grew and, in 2010, could accommodate more than 10,000 personnel. It became a small city with food outlets, stores for shopping, and even traffic jams.
After nearly 20 years of continuous US presence there, Bagram AB was secretly evacuated by US forces during the night on 1 July 2021 and de facto handed back to the Afghan government on July 2, 2021. Less than two months later, on August 15, 2021, Afghan troops stationed there fell back from their positions, leaving them to the Taliban and losing control of the airfield.
The Taliban freed thousands of prisoners who had been incarcerated on the base, including senior Al-Qaeda and Taliban figures. Bagram AB has been under Taliban control ever since.
Why Does Trump Want Bagram AB Back?
The answer is China. During an appearance with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on his official visit to the UK, Trump made Bagram’s importance to him and the nation very clear.
“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said. “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us.”
Trump added,
“We want that base back, but one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
Taliban Response
Immediately after Trump’s post, the Taliban response came quickly and from multiple angles.
Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat stated that Afghanistan's "independence and territorial integrity are of the utmost importance" and urged the US to "adopt a policy of realism and rationality."
Taliban military chief Fasihuddin Fitrat also said that negotiations over the base are "not feasible" and that not "even an inch" of Afghan soil would be surrendered.
Taliban officials repeatedly pointed to the Doha Agreement, the withdrawal deal that Trump’s first Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed with the Taliban in 2019, in which the US pledged not to "use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan."
Awaiting “Bad Things” to Happen
The ball is now in Trump’s court, and it’s left to be seen what leverage he can use to compel the Taliban to accept his demands for a US return to Bagram AB.
The nation and the world, particularly the Chinese, will watch these developments closely. Is a return of the US military to Afghanistan on the table … one way or another?
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