The United States is seeking to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, President Donald Trump said Thursday during a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, though Afghan officials dismissed the need for a renewed U.S. presence.
The historic Soviet-era airstrip served as the main hub for American forces in Afghanistan after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks until their 2021 withdrawal, which allowed the Taliban to seize control.
“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said of Bagram, highlighting its strategic location near China. “We want that base back.”
Kabul, however, said it was not open to any such arrangement.
“Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another ... without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” Zakir Jalal, an Afghan Foreign Ministry official, posted on X.
