President Donald Trump’s latest remarks have reignited one of the most contentious debates in recent U.S. foreign policy: the future of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. Speaking at a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on September 18, 2025, Trump revealed that his administration is actively seeking to reestablish a U.S. military presence at the sprawling base, four years after America’s dramatic withdrawal left it in the hands of the Taliban. The announcement, made during Trump’s state visit to the United Kingdom, has stirred diplomatic ripples from Kabul to Washington and beyond.
Trump’s statement was delivered with characteristic flair. “We're trying to get it back,” he said, referring to Bagram, and emphasized its strategic importance by adding, “One of the reasons we want that base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.” According to BBC, Trump further claimed, “We gave it to them for nothing.” He described the base as “one of the most powerful bases in the world in terms of runway strength and length,” even quipping, “You can land a planet on top of it.”
The remarks were not entirely new. Trump has previously floated the idea of returning to Bagram, but this time he framed it as “breaking news” and tied it directly to U.S. competition with China, the nation he repeatedly describes as America’s top geopolitical rival. As Arab News noted, Trump’s focus on Bagram’s proximity to China’s nuclear facilities reflects deepening anxieties in Washington about Beijing’s growing military capabilities and alliances.
Yet, the path to regaining Bagram is fraught with complications—historical, diplomatic, and practical. The air base, roughly 50 kilometers north of Kabul, was originally built by the Soviets in the 1950s and became the epicenter of U.S. and NATO operations during the two-decade occupation following the 2001 invasion. In 2021, the base was handed over to the Afghan military just before the Taliban’s rapid takeover, capping a withdrawal process that Trump now calls “a total disaster.”
Trump’s criticism of President Joe Biden for the chaotic exit from Afghanistan has been relentless. “They just went through the Afghanistan total disaster for no reason whatsoever. We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to leave it with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram Air Base,” Trump insisted, according to AP. He accused Biden of “gross incompetence,” a refrain that has become a staple of his campaign rhetoric.
However, as Online.ua and BBC both point out, it was under Trump’s own administration that the U.S. signed the Doha agreement with the Taliban in 2020, which set the terms for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops by May 1, 2021. Biden’s administration followed through on this deal, albeit with disastrous consequences as the U.S.-backed Afghan government collapsed and desperate scenes unfolded at Kabul’s airport.
In the wake of Trump’s announcement, the Taliban wasted no time in issuing a firm response. Zakir Jalaly, a senior official at the Taliban’s Foreign Ministry, posted on X (formerly Twitter), “Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the door is open for further interaction.” He reiterated that Afghanistan’s sovereignty is not up for negotiation, echoing the Taliban’s long-standing position that no foreign troops will be allowed on Afghan soil.
The Taliban’s rejection was echoed in the international community. A spokesperson for China’s Foreign Ministry weighed in, stating, “China respects Afghanistan's territorial integrity and sovereignty,” and added, “the future of Afghanistan should be in the hands of Afghan people.” Meanwhile, a BBC investigation found no evidence to support Trump’s claims that China has established a presence at Bagram since the U.S. departure. Satellite images from 2020 to 2025 showed little activity at the base and no indication of Chinese military operations.
Despite the diplomatic freeze, there have been limited contacts between the U.S. and Taliban governments. Recent talks have focused on hostage negotiations and prisoner exchanges, including a meeting in Kabul between the Taliban’s foreign minister and Adam Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for hostage response. While these discussions suggest some willingness to engage, they fall far short of the kind of military cooperation Trump envisions.
Experts agree that Bagram holds undeniable strategic value. Abdul Saboor Mubariz of the Center for Strategic and Regional Studies in Kabul told Arab News, “Bagram Airbase holds significant strategic value for the US in countering the influence of China, Russia, and Iran—three major competitors in the region.” He added that control over the base would enhance America’s ability to “monitor Chinese military activity, carry out limited strikes, conduct covert operations, and gather vital intelligence.” Alef Khan Atif, a political science lecturer at Dawat University, echoed this view, noting that “securing access to Bagram would enhance US influence across Central and South Asia, as well as the Middle East.”
Nevertheless, analysts remain skeptical about the feasibility of Trump’s plan. “As long as the existing government remains in power, such cooperation appears improbable unless there is a substantial shift in policy,” Mubariz said. The Taliban’s internal challenges—ranging from economic crisis to lack of international recognition—may create incentives for engagement with the U.S. on some fronts, but not at the cost of sovereignty.
Journalists have also highlighted the irony in Trump’s current stance. While he blames Biden for the withdrawal, it was his own administration that negotiated the terms for America’s exit. As Online.ua observed, “Despite the fact that Donald Trump accuses Joe Biden of hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, it was during his first administration that the United States signed an agreement with the Taliban movement, which provided for the complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan by May 1, 2021.”
For ordinary Afghans, the debate over Bagram represents more than just a geopolitical chess match. The U.S. withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power have left the country in near-total diplomatic isolation and economic turmoil. While the Taliban may seek to normalize relations with the U.S. for economic reasons, the prospect of a renewed American military presence remains a red line.
For now, Trump’s proposal appears to be more of a political talking point than an actionable policy. The Pentagon and U.S. Central Command have referred all questions about Bagram to the White House, and there is no public evidence of concrete planning for a return. Still, the episode underscores how Afghanistan remains an unresolved chapter in America’s foreign policy—and how, even years after the last plane departed, the fate of Bagram Air Base continues to loom large in the minds of policymakers and the public alike.
As the dust settles from Trump’s latest announcement, one thing is clear: the struggle for influence in Central Asia is far from over, and the ghosts of Bagram still haunt the corridors of power on both sides of the world.