United States President Donald Trump issued a warning to Afghanistan and demanded the return of the Bagram air base to America. However, Afghan officials rejected the threats, and Mullah Tajmir Jawad, first deputy of the General Directorate of Intelligence, responded by saying that the Afghan government would preserve the current system.
The Afghan officials have also reportedly emphasised that any attempt to reestablish a foreign military presence would be met with unyielding resistance.
Donald Trump’s Warning
Posting on Truth Social, the US President issued a warning about the Bagram Airbase and wrote, “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 had earlier reiterated that Washington has been pushing to regain control of the base. Addressing reporters on Friday, he confirmed that discussions with Afghanistan on the matter were going on.
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Bagram Airbase
The Bagram air base was, at one time, the largest US military installation in Afghanistan and a key operational hub for American forces after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The base was taken over by the Taliban after the withdrawal of American forces in 2021.
The Bagram airbase is situated 50 km north of Kabul and has served as the main military base of US troops in Afghanistan during the 20-year military presence of US-led military coalition forces.
Trump has criticised his predecessor Joe Biden over giving up Bagram airbase during the US withdrawal in August 2021.
Afghanistan’s Response To Trump’s Threat
According to IANS, Afghan Defence Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid told the media, “Our answer is, if you don’t leave and want bases, we are ready to fight you for another 20 years.”
Meanwhile, the political director of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zakir Jalaly, dismissed the US return notion and stated that Afghans have “never accepted foreign troops on their territory” and that any dialogue with Washington must exclude military reoccupation, reports Xinhua news agency.
(with IANS inputs)