Trump warns Afghanistan of dire consequences over Bagram air base row
Washington (The Uttam Hindu): US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Afghanistan demanding the return of Bagram Air Base to the US. Posting on the social media platform Truth Social, Donald Trump wrote, "If Afghanistan does not return Bagram Air Base to its creators, the United States it will be very bad."
US President Donald Trump has previously reiterated that Washington is working to regain control of the airbase which was a major US military operations center after the September 11, 2001 attacks. He confirmed that talks are ongoing with Afghanistan on the matter.
Bagram Air Base was the largest US military base in Afghanistan. The Taliban took control of the airbase after the withdrawal of US forces in 2021. Meanwhile, the Taliban regime has condemned US President Donald Trump's remarks on Bagram.
A senior Afghan official on Saturday criticized US President Donald Trump's remarks about retaking Bagram airbase saying Afghans never accept foreign military presence in their country, Afghanistan's state-run Radio and Television (RTA) reported.
"Afghanistan and the US need to negotiate economic and political relations based on bilateral respect and shared interests," Jalali, a senior diplomat at the Foreign Ministry, was quoted as saying by state media, media inputs reported. Trump had previously criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden for abandoning Bagram Air Base during the US troop withdrawal in August 2021.
"We want to take it back," Trump said in London. Bagram Air Base, located 50 kilometers north of Kabul was the main base for US troops in Afghanistan during the 20-year military presence of US-led coalition forces, which ended in August 2021.