US President Donald Trump on Thursday indicated that he was trying to "get back" Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, which was left behind by the United States when it withdrew in 2021 following the Taliban takeover.
"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. We want that base back," Trump said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Former commander-in-chief claimed that his campaign to restore American dominance over Bagram is connected to China's increasing influence in the region. "China now controls Bagram," Trump asserted.
About a month prior, Trump had suggested that Washington would redeploy troops back to Afghanistan, observing, "We are going to keep a small force on Bagram" to counterbalance Beijing's increasing clout.
He also explained that his interest in the base was not necessarily aimed at Afghanistan. “We wanted to keep this base because of China, not because of Afghanistan,” he said, noting the airbase’s proximity to China’s nuclear facilities, “just an hour” away, as its key strategic value.
Bagram has long been among Washington's most critical military bases in South Asia, prized for its siting and broad capabilities.
Located some 40 kilometres north of Kabul, the airbase is close to the Chinese, Pakistani, Iranian, and Central Asian borders—putting it at the centre of one of the globe's most volatile zones. Its proximity to China's Xinjiang province, where Beijing has nuclear and military installations, made it a special consideration in US defence policy.
At the height of US involvement in Afghanistan, Bagram was the largest American airbase in the country. It featured multiple runways capable of accommodating heavy bombers and cargo aircraft, housed thousands of US and NATO personnel, and included command centres, detention facilities, and logistics networks. For nearly 20 years, it served as the backbone of America’s military operations in Afghanistan.
Aside from the Afghan war, the base provided Washington with the scope to gather intelligence, carry out counter-terrorism operations, and monitor enemies such as China, Russia, Iran, and Pakistan closely. Symbolically, it also demonstrated the magnitude of US military presence in the region.
Its surprise abandonment in 2021 withdrawal outraged analysts, who suggested that surrender of the base was a strategic blunder. Besides, handing the facility over to the Taliban, the action also stoked fears that China might take advantage of its location for the purposes of pursuing its own geopolitical interests.
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