[18 Sept Breaking] Trump wants to reclaim Bagram air base in Afghanistan

[Rogue Trader]

Trump says US seeks control of Afghanistan's Bagram air base given up in withdrawal​

By Reuters
September 19, 20253:38 PM GMT+8Updated 5 hours ago

Runway is seen at Bagram U.S. air base, after American troops vacated it, in Parwan province, Afghanistan July 5, 2021. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail/ File Photo

LONDON, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The United States seeks to regain control of Bagram air base in Afghanistan, President Donald Trump said on Thursday during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but an Afghan official dismissed the need for any U.S. presence.

The historic Soviet-built airstrip was the main base for American forces in the mountainous South Asian nation following the attacks of September 11, 2001, until their 2021 withdrawal led to a takeover by the Islamist Taliban movement.

"We're trying to get it back," Trump said of Bagram, citing what he called its strategic location near China. "We want that base back."

Kabul said it was not open to any such deal, however.

"Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another ... without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan," Zakir Jalal, an Afghan foreign ministry official, posted on X.

The two nations could establish economic and political ties on the basis of mutual respect and shared interests, he added.

China respects Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, a spokesperson of its foreign ministry said, urging all parties to play a constructive role for regional peace and stability.

"The future and destiny of Afghanistan should be held in the hands of the Afghan people," Lin Jian told a regular press conference on Friday, when asked about Trump's comments.

"I want to stress that stoking tensions and creating confrontation in the region wins no popular support."

Engaging with Kabul to free citizens wrongly detained abroad, U.S. officials held talks on Saturday with Afghan authorities regarding Americans held in Afghanistan.

Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's special hostage envoy, and Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan, met the Taliban's foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi.

Washington does not recognise the Taliban administration, which seized power in 2021 after 20 years of U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan.

Reporting by Steve Holland, Andrea Shalal in London and Mohammad Yunus Yawar in Kabul; Additional reporting by Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Clarence Fernandez

 

[syed putra]

Nepal, sri Lanka, pakistan, bangaladesh will. Now host US troops and missiles facing Chynnah.
I wonder how much trump willing to pay Taliban for the use of the airbase.
Return.of the usd6 bil seized ?
Free maintenance of military equipment left behind by US previously?
Plus maybe usd100 mil a year in. Lease paid up front?

 

[ftan42]

The important of Wakhan Corridor's role in the BRI (Trump probably realised in his 2nd term the important of the Afghan vast resources and and the corridor connecting them). China's Strategic Interests in the Wakhan Corridor China views the Wakhan Corridor as a key trade route, connecting Xingjian directly to Afghanistan, Central Asia, and the Middle East. This reduces trade costs and solidifies China's economic influence in the region. The corridor also provides access to Afghanistan's vast natural resources, including lithium, copper, and oil, which aligns with China's long-term strategy for economic growth.

 

[syed putra]

In the good old british imperial days, British wanted Afghanistan and transoxiana to encircle russia.

 

[winnipegjets]

The Taliban drove the Americans out. I am sure they can drive them out again if the yankees invade again.

 

[syed putra]

The Taliban drove the Americans out. I am sure they can drive them out again if the yankees invade again.

A base in Afghanistan next to iran and china. And transoxiana who are mostly russian allies.