Trump makes U-turn on Afghanistan, says he may reactivate Bagram Airbase
Washington (The Uttam Hindu): US President Donald Trump continues to surprise the world with his decisions. This time, the US administration has revised its Afghanistan policy and is considering reactivating Bagram Air Base.
US President Donald Trump has revealed that his administration is attempting to recapture Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. This revelation is also problematic for China. The US President himself has stated that his administration's recapture of Bagram Air Base is essential because of its proximity to China's nuclear installations.
President Trump was speaking at his press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Chequers, United Kingdom on Thursday. Regarding Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, Trump said, "We're trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back. One of the reasons we want that base as you know is that it's an hour's drive from where China's nuclear weapons are being developed."
Trump has made this policy public four years after the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan. He also criticized the previous Biden administration for the situation in Afghanistan. Bagram, located 44 kilometers north of the capital, Kabul was the largest US military base in Afghanistan. However, this is not the first time Donald Trump has raised the issue of Bagram Air Base. In March, he claimed Beijing's control over this area.
Trump said, "The US administration would have held Bagram before but not just because of Afghanistan, but because of China because it's exactly an hour's drive from where China's nuclear missiles are being manufactured." He further said, "You know who's holding it right now?" However, the Taliban which rules Afghanistan has rejected the US president's claims.
"Bagram is controlled by the Islamic Emirate (Taliban regime) not China. Chinese troops are not present here, nor do we have any such agreement with any country," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.