'We’re Trying to Get It Back': Trump Says US Wants to Reclaim Afghanistan Airbase

During a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that his administration is attempting to regain control of Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, a base he has previously criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for abandoning.

“We’re trying to get it back, by the way,” Trump said on Thursday, wrapping up his visit to the UK. He characterized the news as "a little breaking news," suggesting ongoing negotiations with Afghanistan. “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back.”

President Trump underscored the strategic importance of the base, stating, "One of the reasons we want the base is because it is an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons." He expressed his disappointment that the matter is not yet resolved, adding, "A lot of things are happening, but I am very disappointed in the fact that that one’s not settled.”

Since taking office, Trump has repeatedly criticized the tumultuous 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan under the Biden administration, asserting that the departure left significant American military assets, including the Bagram base and a large amount of military equipment, in the hands of the Taliban. Trump has also claimed that the base is now under Chinese control, a claim disputed by Afghan authorities.

A Strategic Center for Two Decades of War

For two decades, Bagram Airfield served as the central hub for U.S. and NATO forces in their operations against the Taliban and al-Qaeda. The U.S.-led coalition established control of the base in December 2001 and expanded it into a massive facility capable of housing up to 10,000 troops across its 30-square-mile area.

Following the U.S. and allied withdrawal, the Afghan military assumed control of the base to continue the fight against the Taliban. The Taliban have welcomed the departure of foreign forces from the base. The base itself has a history of strategic importance, initially built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s and used as its main base during its occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, before it fell into disrepair and was subsequently rebuilt by the U.S. in 2001.

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