President Donald Trump has ratcheted-up his demand for Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan and is now threatening the Taliban who took it over when the US pulled out of the country in 2021.
“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 president posted on Truth Social on Saturday night.
The commander in chief did not elaborate on what type of trouble the Taliban would be in if they don’t return Bagram and it is not clear what kind of involvement the US military would have in reoccupying the key strategic base.
Trump first floated the idea of the US military retaking control of the key air base while standing beside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday.
“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said, apparently surprising Starmer. “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us.”
“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,” the president said Friday.
Bagram Air Base resides in the eastern part of the country near the key strategic borders of China and Pakistan.
It was the major base of operations for United States operations during the War in Afghanistan following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, until the Biden administration gave it up during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from the country.
The Americanized base once boasted a Burger King, Pizza Hut, a massive prison complex, and shops selling everything from electronics to local wares, according to Reuters.
Earlier this year and during his 2024 presidential campaign, Trump spoke about the importance of the base and warned that China was controlling Bagram Air Base, which the Taliban denied.
“They should refrain from making emotional statements based on unsubstantiated information,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said at the time, according to VOA News.
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