Kabul, Sept 21:The Taliban on Sunday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to retake Bagram Air Base, four years after the chaotic American withdrawal from Afghanistan left the sprawling military facility in Taliban hands.
Trump on Saturday renewed calls to re-establish a U.S. presence at Bagram, telling reporters “we’re talking now to Afghanistan” but offering no details. Asked if he would deploy troops to seize the base, he said: “We won’t talk about that. We want it back, and we want it back right away. If they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m going to do.”
Taliban chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed Trump’s remarks, urging Washington to adopt a policy of “realism and rationality.” “Afghanistan has an economy-oriented foreign policy and seeks constructive relations with all states on the basis of mutual and shared interests,” Mujahid posted on X.
He cited the 2020 Doha Agreement, under which the United States pledged not to use or threaten force against Afghanistan’s territorial integrity or interfere in its internal affairs. “The U.S. should remain faithful to its commitments,” Mujahid said.
The Taliban marked the third anniversary of their takeover at Bagram last year with a military display of abandoned American hardware, drawing attention in Washington. Since returning to power in 2021, the movement has struggled with an economic crisis, internal rifts and attacks from rival militant groups, while facing international isolation.
Trump, who has frequently criticised his predecessor Joe Biden for “gross incompetence” during the U.S. pullout, suggested during a recent trip to the United Kingdom that the Taliban might consider allowing the U.S. back because “they need things from us.”
Despite the absence of formal diplomatic ties, the United States and Taliban have held limited contacts. In March, the Taliban released an American tourist abducted more than two years earlier, and in recent weeks the group said it had reached a prisoner exchange deal with U.S. envoys. The White House has not commented on the talks.
