US President Donald Trump has been subtly urging his national security team for months to explore options for reclaiming Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan from the Taliban, according to three individuals acquainted with the situation, as reported by CNN.
Trump alluded to these discussions publicly for the first time on Thursday during his state visit to the UK, stating to reporters that his administration is working towards regaining control of the base, located an hour north of Kabul.
The Taliban took it over following the collapse of the Afghan government and the US military withdrawal in 2021.
“We were planning to withdraw but intended to hold onto Bagram, not due to Afghanistan but because of China, as it’s precisely one hour from China’s nuclear missile facilities,” he stated in March. “We aimed to maintain a small force at Bagram.”
As CNN has reported, the last US troops departed Bagram Air Base in July 2021. The base served as the hub of US military strength in Afghanistan for close to two decades.
The three-kilometre runway was the starting point for military operations throughout the country, accommodating cargo planes, fighter jets, and attack helicopters.
Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump all visited Bagram during their tenures, pledging victory and a brighter future for Afghanistan.
The base was also the target of numerous Taliban attacks over the years, including suicide bombings and rocket attacks.
When American troops left the base in 2021, they destroyed nearly 16,000 pieces of equipment in the process, US Central Command said at the time.
In 2023, the State Department released an after-action review of the withdrawal which found that the US’ decision to leave Bagram likely contributed to the chaotic US exit from the country as a whole, since it meant that Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul ” would be the only avenue for a possible noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO).”
