Former President Donald Trump declared on 18/9/2024 that the United States is seeking to regain control of Bagram air base in Afghanistan, which the US military fully evacuated in 2021. "The US gave Bagram air base to the Taliban for nothing. Now, we are trying to get it back," he said.
The Taliban government quickly rejected the possibility, emphasizing that the US "cannot have a military presence in Afghanistan".
Despite this, Trump remained resolute. On 20/9/2024, he warned of "bad things happening" if Afghanistan didn't return control of Bagram, without elaborating.
Bagram, Afghanistan's largest air base, is located in Parwan province, approximately 60 km north of Kabul. Observers consider Parwan strategically vital, a key to controlling much of Afghanistan due to its connections to major cities like Kabul, Kandahar, and Bamiyan.
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US F-16 fighter jets taking off from Bagram air base in 2017. Photo: Reuters |
US F-16 fighter jets taking off from Bagram air base in 2017. Photo: Reuters
The Soviet Union built Bagram air base in the 1950s during its power struggle with the US in Afghanistan. US President Dwight Eisenhower visited the site in 1959.
Bagram served as a crucial Soviet base during the fight against the Mujahideen from 1979 to 1989. Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, it was abandoned, becoming a front line between the Taliban and the Western-backed Northern Alliance. The Taliban controlled Kabul to the south, while the Northern Alliance held positions in the northern mountains.
After the 9/11 attacks, the US launched airstrikes against the Taliban, enabling the Northern Alliance to advance south and capture Kabul, ousting the Taliban regime. US forces quickly secured Bagram, establishing it as their primary base in Afghanistan.
In the early years of the US-led war on terror, the CIA used Bagram as a secret detention center for suspected terrorists, who were reportedly mistreated. Former President Barack Obama later acknowledged instances of torture at the base.
As the US and NATO expanded their military presence, Bagram grew. The US built a second runway, constructed fortified barracks, a gym, medical facilities, and even a Pizza Hut to serve thousands of troops.
By around 2010, Bagram had become a massive complex the size of a small town, with three layers of security, processing newly arrived US troops before deployment.
US presidents frequently visited the base, including Trump during Thanksgiving in 2019. In 2007, a suicide bombing at Bagram killed 23 and injured 20 while then-Vice President Dick Cheney was visiting.
"For nearly 20 years, Bagram air base served as a potent symbol of American power in Afghanistan, as well as the heart of America's protracted military intervention," the Washington Post noted.
Determined to end the prolonged war, the Trump administration signed an agreement with the Taliban in 2020 to withdraw all NATO troops from Afghanistan.
Within a year, the Taliban made significant battlefield gains, pressuring the US-backed Afghan government. The Biden administration secretly evacuated Bagram in early July 2021 as the Taliban advanced.
Bagram fell to the Taliban in August 2021 after Afghan government forces surrendered. Later that month, Biden ordered the full withdrawal of US forces, a chaotic operation.
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Taliban forces parade at Bagram air base in August 2024. Photo: AFP |
Taliban forces parade at Bagram air base in August 2024. Photo: AFP
Lacking domestic support for maintaining troops in Afghanistan, US officials never considered retaining Bagram.
"Holding Bagram would have required putting as many as 5,000 US troops in harm's way, just to operate and defend it," US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told the House Armed Services Committee in September 2021.
US media highlights Bagram's strategic importance due to its proximity to China and a nuclear test site in Xinjiang, where Beijing tested its first atomic bomb in 1964. Though reportedly abandoned, there are reports of increased Chinese military construction in the area.
Trump claimed Bagram is "about an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons," accusing the Biden administration of abandoning the base despite this knowledge.
A renewed US military presence at Bagram could also facilitate counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State Khorasan, which is fighting the Taliban and has expanded into Europe, according to the Washington Post.
While the Taliban rejected the US return to Bagram, Trump noted they "need things" from Washington. US media suggests the Taliban primarily seeks US recognition, as Afghanistan's UN seat remains with the former government.
The Taliban also wants access to $7 billion in frozen US assets to bolster their struggling economy.
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Location of Bagram air base. Graphic: NBC |
Location of Bagram air base. Graphic: NBC
However, observers warn that operating and securing Bagram would require significant US resources, echoing Austin's earlier concerns. US forces, if allowed back, would face threats from groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
The base is also vulnerable to missile attacks from Iran, which in June targeted US bases in Qatar in retaliation for a US strike on nuclear facilities.
Pham Giang (According to Reuters, Washington Post, Indian Express)
