As US President Donald Trump escalates calls to reclaim a strategic Afghan outpost, the Taliban’s firm rebuff signals deepening rifts in post-withdrawal diplomacy, with potential ripples across South Asian security alignments.
The government of Taliban reject Trump bid to regain control of Bagram Airbase, emphasising no military presence for American forces, as stated by officials on Thursday, 18 September 2025, following Trump’s public remarks during a London press conference. This stance, rooted in commitments under the 2020 Doha Agreement, underscores Kabul’s insistence on sovereignty amid US overtures framed by concerns over China, with recent talks focusing on hostage releases rather than base access.
Why It Matters for South Asia
The Taliban’s rejection of Trump’s bid for Bagram Airbase reverberates through South Asia, where renewed US military footprints could alter power balances, heighten proxy tensions involving Pakistan and India, and complicate China’s regional investments. For Afghanistan’s neighbours, this impasse risks prolonging instability, hindering economic corridors like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, and exacerbating refugee flows, while testing multilateral efforts to counter militancy and foster reconstruction in a volatile subcontinent.
Taliban Firmly Reject Trump Bid Amid Sovereignty Concerns
Taliban spokespersons swiftly dismissed Trump’s bid for Bagram Airbase, the sprawling facility north of Kabul that served as the nerve centre for US-led operations from 2001 until the chaotic 2021 withdrawal.
Zabihullah Mujahid, chief Taliban spokesperson, stated:
“Afghanistan has an economy-oriented foreign policy and seeks constructive relations with all states based on mutual and shared interests.”
He urged Washington to embrace “realism and rationality,” adding that Kabul’s independence and territorial integrity remain paramount, as conveyed in all bilateral discussions.
This response came hours after Trump, speaking alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, 18 September 2025, at 2:00 PM BST, declared his administration’s efforts to “get back” the base.
Trump remarked:
“We gave it to them for nothing… It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
The claim, echoing prior assertions of Chinese encroachment at Bagram Airbase, lacks substantiation; a BBC investigation using satellite imagery from late 2020 to 2025 found minimal activity and no evidence of Beijing’s involvement. Foreign Ministry official Zakir Jalal reinforced the position, asserting that any US military footprint was “completely rejected” during pre-2021 negotiations.
Zakir Jalal posted:
“Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan.”
Kabul signalled openness to political and economic ties grounded in “mutual respect and shared interests,” but drew a clear red line on security matters.
The Taliban reject Trump bid narrative gained traction after weekend meetings in Kabul, where US special hostage envoy Adam Boehler and former envoy Zalmay Khalilzad conferred with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. Those discussions, held over the weekend prior to 18 September 2025, centred on detained American citizens, with photographs released showing the delegations in dialogue. No agenda items reportedly included Bagram Airbase access, though US officials have mulled re-establishing a presence since March 2025, per CNN reports.
Strategic Value of Bagram Airbase in Regional Dynamics
Bagram Airbase, a Soviet-era relic transformed into a 14-square-kilometre complex with two runways capable of handling heavy bombers, symbolises the arc of US engagement in Afghanistan. During the two-decade war post-9/11, it housed up to 40,000 troops and a notorious detention facility where thousands endured indefinite imprisonment, often under harsh conditions. The US vacated it abruptly on Friday, 2 July 2021, at around 3:00 AM local time, without notifying Afghan commanders, who discovered the departure amid reports of Taliban advances nearby.
Trump’s fixation on Bagram Airbase predates his current term, with February 2020 Doha Accord stipulations for full troop withdrawal clashing against his vision for a residual force to monitor China. He has lambasted predecessor Joe Biden for “gross incompetence” in the exit, which facilitated the Taliban’s swift takeover on Sunday, 15 August 2021. In March 2025, Trump reiterated plans to retain the site “not because of Afghanistan but because of China,” framing it as a counter to Beijing’s purported nuclear activities—though experts note the nearest Chinese test site lies over 2,000 km away in Xinjiang.
Current and former US officials caution that reclaiming Bagram Airbase could resemble a re-invasion, necessitating over 10,000 troops and advanced defences against threats from Islamic State and al-Qaeda affiliates. The Pentagon, via a Thursday statement, affirmed readiness “to execute any mission at the president’s direction,” while Central Command deferred to the White House. Afghan analysts view the overture as leverage in broader negotiations, but warn it risks alienating partners like Pakistan, which shares a 2,640-km border and hosts millions of Afghan refugees.
On Saturday, 20 September 2025, Trump amplified his rhetoric via Truth Social, posting in all caps:
“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 did not exclude military options, prompting concerns over escalation. Taliban sources, speaking anonymously, described the threat as unconstructive, echoing Mujahid’s call for fidelity to Doha pledges against force or interference.
Background
The saga of Bagram Airbase traces to 2001, when US forces seized it from Taliban control, expanding it into a logistics hub amid the Global War on Terror. By 2021, amid the Doha-brokered exit, the base’s abandonment—complete with $85 billion in abandoned equipment—marked a humiliating coda. The Taliban repurposed it for military parades, including a grand display on Saturday, 15 August 2024, showcasing captured US hardware to mark their third anniversary in power.
Post-takeover, Afghanistan grapples with economic collapse, sanctions, and internal fractures, including clashes with ISIS-Khorasan. US non-recognition persists, limiting engagement to humanitarian channels and hostage diplomacy. Trump’s overtures revive echoes of his first-term deal-making, but face headwinds from Taliban consolidation and regional actors wary of renewed great-power rivalry.
What’s Next for US-Afghan Ties
With Trump’s UN General Assembly address looming on Tuesday, 23 September 2025, in New York, further clarifications on Bagram Airbase may emerge, potentially tying the issue to sanctions relief or aid. Mediators like Qatar could broker low-level talks, but absent concessions, the Taliban reject Trump bid dynamic may harden, stalling progress on detainees and reconstruction.
In conclusion, the Taliban reject Trump bid for Bagram Airbase encapsulates a broader standoff over sovereignty and strategy, poised to influence South Asia’s fragile equilibrium for the foreseeable future.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, September 21st, 2025
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