US President Donald Trump has revealed that negotiations are underway with the Taliban government, which currently rules Afghanistan, regarding the potential return of Bagram Air Base to American control. The base was previously used by American colonial forces. Adam Boehler, Trump’s special envoy, recently traveled to Kabul for discussions with the Taliban government, which the US and Western powers consider a terrorist organization. “Abandoning that place [Bagram Air Base] was a mistake we made,” Trump said, speaking to reporters in the Oval Office of the White House. US forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021 as Taliban fighters advanced and overthrew the country’s elected government. When American troops left Bagram Air Base, the Taliban took control of it as well.
American colonial forces invaded Afghanistan and took control of a large part of the country in 2001, following the September terrorist attacks in New York. This was under the guise of the war on terror, led by the United States. During a recent state visit to the United Kingdom, Trump also highlighted the desire to bring Bagram Air Base back under American control while speaking to reporters alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. However, Taliban government officials have voiced opposition to this idea. Zakir Jalal, a senior official in the Taliban government’s Foreign Ministry, stated that the Taliban government refuses to allow American colonial forces to remain in Afghanistan. “Relations between Afghanistan and America need to be strengthened… but there will be no opportunity for the American military to be present in any part of Afghanistan,” he said.
The Wall Street Journal, an American newspaper, has also reported that the US is in discussions about regaining control of Bagram Air Base and conducting counter-terrorism operations in cooperation with the Taliban government. The newspaper stated that Trump’s envoy Boehler is representing the Trump administration in ongoing talks with Taliban leaders. The report also mentioned that discussions are taking place regarding prisoner exchanges between the US and Afghanistan, as well as potential economic assistance for Afghanistan.
