Jalalabad, Afghanistan (AP) – The Taliban government rejected on Sunday the proposal of US President Donald Trump to resume the Bagram Air Base, four years after the chaotic withdrawal from the United States of Afghanistan left the extensive military installation in the hands of Taliban.
Trump mentioned on Saturday his proposal to restore the presence of the United States in Bagram and even said that “we are now talking to Afghanistan” about the matter. He offered no more details about the alleged conversations. When a reporter asked him if he considers playing US troops to take the base, Trump avoided responding.
“We won’t talk about that,” Trump said. “We want to recover it, and we want it back immediately. If they don’t, they will discover what I’m going to do.”
The main spokesman Talibán Zabihullah Mjahid rejected Trump’s claims on Sunday and urged the United States to adopt a policy of “realism and rationality.”
Afghanistan has a foreign policy oriented to the economy and seeks constructive relationships with all states based on mutual and shared interests, Mujahid published in X.
In all bilateral negotiations, it was communicated consistently to the United States that the independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan are of the utmost importance, he added.
“It should be remembered that, under Doha’s agreement, the United States promised to ‘not use or threaten to use force against territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, or interfere with their internal affairs,” he said. The United States must remain faithful to its commitments, he added.
Mujahid did not answer the questions of The Associated Press about conversations with the Trump government regarding Bagram and why Trump believes that the United States can recover it.
“Saying Afghan soil is out of discussion”
On Sunday morning, the head of personnel of the Afghan Ministry of Defense, Fasihuddin Fitrat, referred to Trump’s comments.
“Saying even an inch from our ground to anyone is out of discussion and impossible,” he said during a speech transmitted by Afghan media.
In August of last year, the Taliban celebrated the third anniversary of their Bagram taking with a great military exhibition of abandoned American team, which caught the attention of the White House. Trump has repeatedly criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for his “serious incompetence” during the withdrawal of US forces after the longest war in the country.
Last week, during his state visit to the United Kingdom, Trump hinted that the Taliban, who has faced an economic crisis, lack of international legitimacy, internal divisions and attacks by rival armed groups from his return to power in 2021, could be willing to allow the return of the US army.
“We are trying to recover it because they need things about us,” Trump said about the Taliban. Although the United States and Taliban do not have formal diplomatic ties, both parties have had conversations about hostages. An American who was kidnapped more than two years ago when he was traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist was released by the Taliban in March.
The Taliban also said that they reached an agreement with American sent on an exchange of prisoners as part of an effort to normalize relations between the United States and Afghanistan.
They did not give details of the exchange of detainees, and the White House did not comment on the meeting in Kabul or on the results described in a Taliban statement. The Taliban published photographs of their conversations, which showed their Foreign Minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with Trump’s special envoy for Host -Response, Adam Boehler.
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The Associated Press Aamer Madhani journalist contributed to this office from Washington.
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This story was translated from English by an AP editor with the help of a generative artificial intelligence tool.
This article was published by Associated Press on 2025-09-21 08:27:00
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