US President Donald Trump threatened Afghanistan with unspecified “bad things” if it doesn’t turn the massive Bagram Air Base outside Kabul back to United States, an action previously rejected by the country’s Taliban rulers.
"If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN," Trump said on September 20 in a Truth Social post.
Asked by reporters at the White House whether he would consider sending troops to recapture the facility, Trump said only that "we won't talk about that."
"We're talking now to Afghanistan, and we want it back and we want it back soon, right away. And if they don't do it -- if they don't do it, you're going to find out what I'm gonna do," he told reporters.
The remarks come after Trump on September 18 said the United States was attempting to get Bagram Air Base back from Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, citing the extremist group’s need for US help and the facility’s proximity to China’s nuclear assets.
“We're trying to get it back because they [Taliban rulers] need things from us," Trump said without being specific during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London.
“But one of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening,” Trump added.
The Taliban rulers, beset by natural disasters, unrest, poverty, and terrorist attacks, have attempted to improve ties with the global community, although Russia is the only country to so far establish diplomatic relations.
Western nations have said the country must first improve its human rights record, especially in regard to the treatment of women and girls.
The Wall Street Journal, citing people with knowledge of the matter, on September 19 reported that US administration officials were in discussions with the Taliban concerning the matter. The report said US officials and the Taliban discussed allowing the US military to use Bagram as a “launch point” for counterterrorism missions.
Experts have said that even if Taliban leaders did allow a US presence at Bagram, the base would need to be defended against threats from the Al-Qaeda and Islamic State (IS) terror groups still operating in Afghanistan.
Bagram, about 40 kilometers north of Kabul, was actually built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s but vastly improved and expanded by the US military. It was the largest US base in Afghanistan and served as the central command during its 20-year occupation of the country.
The base was handed over in July 2021 to the previous Afghan government -- weeks before the chaotic withdrawal of US troops and the eventual takeover of the country by the Taliban.
Washington has kept a minimal level of public engagement with Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, restricting it to hostage negotiations. Afghanistan has remained largely isolated on the global stage and its economy is struggling to attract foreign support and private investments.
Taliban officials rejected Trump’s suggestion that the United States might regain control of Bagram, but they left open the possibility of talks to improve ties.
“Without the US having any military presence in Afghanistan, both Afghanistan and the US need to engage with each other, and they can have political and economic relations based on mutual respect and shared interests,” Zakir Jalaly, a Taliban foreign ministry official, said on social media.
Trump in the past has made comments about either seizing, buying, or otherwise acquiring international assets, such as the Panama Canal and Greenland and of making Canada the "51st US state." The remarks have angered the governments in question.
