Taliban say Afghanistan ‘will never’ hand over Bagram despite Trump threats
A senior Taliban official on Tuesday dismissed US President Donald Trump’s demand that Kabul hand back Bagram air base, insisting the facility is an inseparable part of Afghanistan.
In an exclusive interview, chief Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said: “Bagram is part of Afghanistan’s territory. It is no different from any other piece of Afghan land. We will never agree to bargain away or hand over any part of our country.”
He added that “Afghans are extremely sensitive about occupation, and no Afghan will ever allow their land to be taken or controlled by outsiders – not even an inch.”
Bagram, located north of Kabul, was the largest US military installation in Afghanistan and the hub of its two-decade war against the Taliban. US forces abandoned it in July 2021, weeks before the Taliban’s return to power.
Trump on Saturday threatened punishment if the base is not returned.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” he wrote on Truth Social.
In response to Trump’s threat, Mujahid said: “For twenty years under US occupation, Afghanistan experienced ‘bad things’ – not for a day, but continuously for two decades. The Americans should not forget that bad actions trigger bad reactions. In the end, they were forced to withdraw their troops from Afghanistan. Afghanistan is not a country that can be occupied or subdued. They should engage with Afghans politically, diplomatically, and rationally.”
The spokesman confirmed talks with US officials but stressed they have focused on prisoner exchanges, diplomatic relations, and economic investment – not Bagram, which he described as non-negotiable.
Trump said on Thursday the US was trying to regain Bagram because the Taliban “need things from us.”
Asked about this, Mujahid acknowledged Afghanistan seeks foreign investment, including from the US, but said that does not mean Bagram is for sale.
“Afghanistan does not, and will never, put forward any demands that involve relinquishing part of its territory in return. No such request has been made from our side, nor is there any need for it,” Mujahid said.
Bagram’s proximity to China
Trump has cited Bagram’s proximity to China as a reason for wanting to retake the base. He has also complained about Beijing’s growing influence in Afghanistan.
“One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” the US president said last week.
Mujahid said Afghanistan wants to have good ties with both China and the US, adding that Kabul pursues a “balanced, economy-centered foreign policy.”
“Just as we want relations with China, we also want ties with the US. Just as we want ties with Russia, we want ties with Europe. Afghanistan will not allow its territory to become a battlefield between rival powers,” he said.
“Bagram is no different from any other part of Afghanistan. We will never allow it to belong to anyone – not to China, not to the US, not to any other power. And the claim that Bagram is just an hour from China is false. In reality, it is hours away by air from China. They have received incorrect information,” Mujahid added.
The Taliban official said Afghanistan remains open to engagement with Washington.
“Afghanistan has already taken the necessary steps for relations… It now depends on how the US responds. If they value rationality, diplomacy, and economic cooperation, Afghans are ready to build good relations with them, as we seek with other countries,” he said.
“But if they insist on Bagram, coercion, or occupation, then Afghanistan has its own position. Defending our country, our national honor, and our people’s values was our duty in the past twenty years – and it will remain our duty in the future.”
At the height of US control, Bagram resembled a small town, complete with fast-food outlets and supermarkets, and hosted visits by presidents including Barack Obama in 2012 and Trump in 2019.
