Trump warns Taliban: Hand back Bagram airbase or 'BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN'
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Trump warns Taliban: Hand back Bagram airbase or 'BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN'")
Donald Trump, Bagram airbase Photograph: (Combination created using images from AFP)
In a post on Truth Social, US President Donald Trump has issued a warning to the Taliban, demanding the return of the Bagram Airfield to the United States. He threatened that "BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!" if Afghanistan does not comply.
US President Donald Trump on Saturday (Sep 20) warned the Taliban of unspecified consequences if the Afghan government refuses to hand back Bagram Airfield to the United States. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned that unless Afghanistan give the Bagram Airbase "back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!". This was not the first time Trump has mentioned taking back the air base; he first floated the idea during his recent state visit to the United Kingdom.
Why does the Bagram air base matter?
Bagram, once the largest US military base in Afghanistan, served as a hub for American and NATO operations for two decades. US and allied forces withdrew from the site in July 2021 as part of a broader pullout that preceded the Taliban's rapid takeover of the country. Human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have previously criticised practices at Bagram during America's so-called "War on Terror", particularly the alleged harsh treatment of detainees.
At a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer earlier this week, Trump said he was working to regain control of the facility. Lamenting the loss of the airbase and noting its proximity to China, Trump said, "We're trying to get it back, by the way, that could be a little breaking news. We're trying to get it back because they need things from us".
Will the US take back the Bagram air base forcefully?
Back in Washington on Saturday, Trump was asked by reporters whether the administration was considering a military operation to retake the base. Trump declined to be specific. "We won't talk about that, but we're talking now to Afghanistan, and we want it back and we want it back soon, right away. And if they don't do it, you're going out find out what I'm going to do," he said.
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The president has frequently criticised the 2021 withdrawal and has linked the loss of Bagram to broader concerns about strategic competition in the region, including China's growing influence in Afghanistan. US officials have not provided details about what steps—diplomatic or otherwise—are being pursued, and offered no clarification on the nature of the "bad things" Trump warned of.
