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Trump threatens ‘bad things’ if Afghanistan refuses to return Bagram base
Asked later whether he would consider sending in troops to retake the base, Trump did not give a direct answer. “We won’t talk about that,” he told reporters.
U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that “bad things” would happen if Afghanistan does not hand back control of the Bagram air base to the United States, raising the prospect of renewed tensions over the site that was once central to America’s two-decade war in the country.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
Asked later whether he would consider sending in troops to retake the base, Trump did not give a direct answer. “We won’t talk about that,” he told reporters.
“We’re talking now to Afghanistan and we want it back soon, right away. And if they don’t do it—you’re going to find out what I’m gonna do.”
The Bagram facility, once the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan, was vacated during the American withdrawal in 2021 and taken over by the Islamic Emirate following their rapid return to power. Afghan officials have however signaled opposition to any renewed American presence.
U.S. officials and security analysts have cautioned that re-occupying the base could resemble a full-scale re-invasion, potentially requiring more than 10,000 troops along with advanced air defenses.
Even with Islamic Emirate consent, they warn, the base would remain vulnerable to attacks from Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and regional powers such as Iran.
The IEA however on Friday dismissed the prospect of a renewed U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
Responding to Trump’s recent comments about Bagram airbase, Zakir Jalaly, Director of the Third Political Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate, said on X that Trump had raised the matter in the context of negotiation.
He underlined that Afghans have never accepted foreign military presence, a stance reaffirmed during the Doha talks and subsequent agreement.
Jalaly stated that the doors remain open for political and economic relations between Kabul and Washington based on shared interests and mutual respect.