The Taliban says it will not entertain any efforts by the United States to reclaim its air base that was abandoned during the fall of Afghanistan.
Responding to President Donald Trump’s assertion on Thursday that the U.S. is “trying to get [Bagram Air Base] back,” foreign ministry official Zakir Jalaly complimented the president but made clear no American military presence would ever be allowed.
“Afghans have never accepted the military presence of anyone throughout history,” Jalaly said in a statement posted to social media. “But for other kinds of engagement, all paths remain open for them.”
“Without the U.S. having any military presence in Afghanistan, both Afghanistan and the U.S. need to engage with each other, and they can have political and economic relations based on mutual respect and shared interests,” he explained.
Trump has complained since March that the U.S. should not have given up Bagram during the evacuation of Afghanistan. Regaining the base became a topic of bilateral discussion around that time, according to a report from CNN citing sources familiar with the matter.
Since then, the administration has held limited meetings with the Taliban, such as White House special envoy Adam Boehler’s visit last week.
The U.S. lost control of Bagram Air Base in 2021 as the Taliban surged to power in Afghanistan.
U.S. military and civil personnel were forced to evacuate the country after the terrorist group overthrew the Ghani government and easily swept through the U.S.-backed Afghan Army.
Trump announced his government’s intention to reclaim the air base during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The president said the base is crucial because it’s “an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.” He also asserted his belief that the Taliban would be willing to negotiate “because they need things from us.”
Afghanistan officials remain under a travel ban in the U.S. and wider isolation by the global community, meaning that relations with the U.S. could prove immensely beneficial for the country’s long-term diplomacy and economic expansion.
Deputy Minister of Information and Culture Muhajir Farahi reacted negatively to the U.S. demands by posting a portion of a poem to social media: “Those who once smashed their heads against the rocks with us, their minds have still not found peace.”
He ended the post with “Bagram, Afghanistan.”
The fall of the U.S.-backed government in Afghanistan, a geopolitical catastrophe for Western powers, was a swift but violent affair.
AFGHAN ALLIES CONTINUE TO BE BETRAYED TO THE TALIBAN
A suicide bomber affiliated with the Islamic State killed 13 U.S. soldiers and approximately 170 Afghans during the final week of the U.S. presence in the country.
Footage of civilians clinging to the sides of airplanes and subsequently falling to their deaths highlighted the desperation of those attempting to flee.