Previously, the US President had called for Bagram Air Base to be returned to American control.
Afghanistan has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s demand for the handover of Bagram Air Base, asserting that such a requirement contravenes the 2020 agreement between the Taliban and the US regarding troop withdrawal.
This past Sunday, Trump issued a warning, stating that should Afghanistan fail to return the facility, undefined “BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” The American leader had previously expressed regret over Washington’s relinquishment of the base, highlighting its strategic location close to China.
Later the same day, Hamdullah Fitrat, who serves as deputy spokesman for the Taliban-administered Afghan government, commented that Kabul has consistently communicated to the US during all discussions that the nation’s “independence and territorial integrity are paramount.”
“It is important to remember that, as per the Doha Agreement, the United States committed that ‘it will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs,’” he stated, calling on the US to uphold its commitment.
“Instead of reiterating unsuccessful past strategies, an approach grounded in realism and rationality ought to be embraced,” Fitrat emphasized.
Bagram Air Base, situated in Parwan Province approximately 60 kilometers north of Kabul, functioned as the main US military center in Afghanistan for twenty years. It served as a base for conducting counterterrorism missions, targeting groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. The facility also contained detention centers, where torture was reportedly sometimes practiced.
Through the 2020 Doha Agreement, the US effectively established peace with the Taliban and agreed to progressively pull its forces out of Afghanistan, as well as to stop threatening the nation’s political sovereignty. In return, the militants provided assurances that Afghan territory would not be utilized by terrorist organizations.
Nonetheless, as the US proceeded with its staged troop withdrawal, the Afghan government and its security apparatus collapsed under the Taliban’s advance, leading to a hasty and disordered evacuation by the remaining American forces.
Since then, Taliban officials have stated their willingness to cooperate with the US, though specifically “without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan.”