President Donald Trump has launched a quiet but determined campaign to reclaim the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the massive military base once considered the crown jewel of U.S. operations in the region. In public remarks alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said, \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get it back. We gave it to them for nothing.\u201d His words were the first open acknowledgment of months of behind-the-scenes discussions within his administration about reestablishing control of the base.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to CNN, conversations about Bagram\u2019s future began as early as March. Senior national security officials, with Trump\u2019s backing, have been assessing options and potential leverage points for securing the base\u2019s return. The president has framed Bagram not only as a missed opportunity of the chaotic 2021 withdrawal but also as a critical piece of America\u2019s broader strategy in countering China.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump has not hidden his reasoning. \u201cWe want that base back, but one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it\u2019s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,\u201d he told reporters. In March, he echoed the same point, saying, \u201cWe were going to keep Bagram, not because of Afghanistan but because of China, because it\u2019s exactly one hour away from where China makes its nuclear missiles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Beyond proximity to China, Trump and his advisers have cited other motivations. Bagram could serve as a hub for counterterrorism operations, particularly against ISIS. It could also provide access to Afghanistan\u2019s vast mineral resources, which include rare earth elements vital for high-tech manufacturing. \u201cWe were going to keep a small force on Bagram,\u201d Trump said earlier this year, stressing that the decision to abandon it under President Biden was, in his view, a costly mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The talks have involved a mix of diplomacy and leverage. In March, Adam Boehler, Trump\u2019s special hostage envoy, and veteran diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad met directly with Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi at Kabul\u2019s airport. The Taliban later confirmed that the meeting discussed \u201cdeveloping bilateral relations between the two countries, issues related to citizens, and investment opportunities in Afghanistan.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump suggested that the United States has bargaining chips the Taliban may find difficult to ignore. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get it back because they need things from us,\u201d he explained. Though he did not specify what the Taliban \u201cneed,\u201d analysts believe this could range from international recognition to economic aid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Officially, Taliban leaders have rejected the idea of an American return to Bagram. Zakir Jalal, a Taliban foreign ministry official, said the possibility of U.S. troops returning was \u201ccompletely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement.\u201d He added that \u201cthroughout history, Afghans have not accepted a military presence,\u201d making clear the Taliban\u2019s sensitivity to foreign troops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yet Jalal\u2019s statement was not entirely closed. He wrote that Afghanistan was open to \u201ceconomic and political relations based on mutual respect and common interests.\u201d This softer language suggests that while a military presence is off the table in public rhetoric, the Taliban may be leaving themselves room for negotiations on other forms of engagement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China has become a central factor in the debate over Bagram. Trump has repeatedly warned that Beijing could try to fill the vacuum left by the U.S. withdrawal. \u201cIt\u2019s an hour away from where they make their missiles,\u201d Trump emphasized while describing why the base is strategically indispensable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
China, for its part, has denied having any presence at Bagram. A spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry stated that \u201cChina respects Afghanistan\u2019s territorial integrity and sovereignty\u201d and insisted that \u201cthe future of Afghanistan should be in the hands of Afghan people.\u201d However, experts like Bill Roggio of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies caution that \u201cChina most certainly would do everything it can to entice the Taliban to keep the U.S. out of Afghanistan and has far more leverage and enticements to make this happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And China has a vested interest. The mineral resources in Afghanistan are valued at perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars. China has already begun negotiations in this respect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although the Taliban have dismissed Trump\u2019s push in public, many observers view their position as a bargaining tactic rather than a final decision. Afghanistan\u2019s rulers remain desperate for international recognition, aid, and investment. Trump himself appears confident that Washington\u2019s leverage can bring results. \u201cWe want that base back,\u201d he declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The outlook hinges on whether the Taliban can be convinced that some form of U.S. presence at Bagram serves their interests. By releasing detained Americans earlier this year, including Delta mechanic George Glezmann and later a British couple, the Taliban signaled a willingness to normalize relations with the United States. Such gestures suggest they may be preparing the ground for a more substantial deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fate of Bagram Airfield remains uncertain, but Trump has turned it into a live issue once again. For him, regaining the base is not about reliving the war in Afghanistan. It is about positioning the United States to check China\u2019s growing power and reassert influence in a region that many believe was abandoned too hastily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Taliban\u2019s public refusals may be a mask for private calculations. With Trump signaling that the United States has resources the Taliban \u201cneed,\u201d the possibility of a deal remains alive. Whether through concessions, investments, or diplomatic normalization, Trump believes the path to Bagram is still open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NP Editor:<\/strong> I believe Trump will get Greenland, too….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A Strategic Reversal in Motion President Donald Trump has launched a quiet but determined campaign to reclaim the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, the massive military base once considered the crown jewel of U.S. operations in the region. In public remarks alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump said, \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get it back. We gave it to them for nothing.\u201d His words were the first open acknowledgment of months of behind-the-scenes discussions within his administration about reestablishing control of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,38,21,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6524","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-china","category-middle-east","category-threat-to-america","category-trump"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/bargramairbase.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6524"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6524\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6526,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6524\/revisions\/6526"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nakedpolitics.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}