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Khalilzad rejects claims that China controls former US base in Afghanistan
In a statement posted Saturday on X, Khalilzad wrote: “I do not believe the report that Communist China now controls the strategic Bagram Airbase. It is not true.”
Former U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has firmly denied reports suggesting that China has taken control of Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, countering repeated assertions made by President Donald Trump.
In a statement posted Saturday on X, Khalilzad wrote: “I do not believe the report that Communist China now controls the strategic Bagram Airbase. It is not true.”
His remarks come after Trump publicly repeated claims that China has assumed control over the airbase—once the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan—describing the situation as a major strategic failure stemming from the 2021 withdrawal.
Trump, who returned to office in January 2025, has sharply criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, over the exit from Afghanistan. In recent public remarks, Trump stated that Bagram’s location, near China’s western border and its nuclear facilities, makes it a critical military asset. He described the U.S. pullout as a “disaster” that has “handed a strategic gift to China.”
Earlier this week, Khalilzad had shared a link to one such report claiming Chinese control over Bagram. In a follow-up post, however, he clarified that he does not endorse the claim and has seen no credible evidence supporting it.
Bagram Airbase, located just north of Kabul, served as the central hub of American and NATO operations for nearly 20 years. Since the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, the airfield has been under the control of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. No verifiable evidence has emerged indicating that Chinese forces or officials have taken over its operations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday that security risks in Central Asia and developments in Afghanistan are among the primary concerns for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The CSTO is a regional military alliance that includes Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
Speaking in Moscow during a meeting with CSTO Secretary-General Taalatbek Masadykov, Lavrov described the region’s security challenges as “central” to the organization’s agenda.
“The problems that are currently among the central ones for the CSTO are new challenges and threats. I am referring to the situation in the Central Asian region of collective security, as well as everything related to what is happening in Afghanistan,” he said.
He praised Masadykov as “one of the leading experts” on Central Asian security, noting that his experience could enhance coordination and increase the effectiveness of allied actions.
Similar to NATO, the CSTO considers an attack on one member state as an attack on all.
Countries in the region have always expressed concern about security threats from Afghanistan. The Islamic Emirate, however, has dismissed these concerns and assured that it will not allow Afghanistan’s soil to be used against another country.
The Ministry of Higher Education of Afghanistan has announced that the leader of the Islamic Emirate has approved the establishment of a faculty dedicated to “Prophetic Medicine.”
According to the ministry, this new faculty will play a vital role in advancing medical sciences and training skilled healthcare professionals across the country.
Afghanistan’s Minister of Borders and Tribal Affairs, Noorullah Noori, has announced that the long-delayed demarcation and renovation of border markers along the Afghanistan–Iran frontier will officially begin in the near future.
According to a statement from the ministry, Noori made the remarks during a meeting with Iran’s ambassador to Kabul, Ali-Reza Bikdeli.
He assured the Iranian side that the Islamic Emirate is fully committed to accelerating the process and resolving any challenges that may arise during implementation.
In a separate statement, the Iranian Embassy in Kabul said Bikdeli underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation on border issues, describing it as a key factor in strengthening and expanding overall relations between the two countries.
Officials from both sides agreed nearly three months ago to resume the border-marker renovation project, which had remained stalled for the past seven years.
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