WASHINGTON — Wrapping up his trip to the United Kingdom, President Donald Trump on Thursday offered “a little breaking news” and said the U.S. was “trying to get” back Bagram Air Base from Afghanistan because, in part, “it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
The massive air base outside Kabul was key to much of the U.S. military’s operations during the nearly 20-year war following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. It was also the site of the final evacuations when the U.S. pulled out of the country in August 2021 and ceded it to the Taliban, who returned to power after being driven out by U.S. forces during the earliest stages of the war.
Trump has long criticized President Joe Biden for his handling of the withdrawal and the fatal attack at an entrance to the airport known as Abbey Gate that killed 13 U.S. troops and 170 Afghans as chaotic evacuations were underway. During last year’s campaign, Trump highlighted family members of the suicide bombing victims and welcomed them to the White House in August to mark the attack’s fourth anniversary.
“They just went through the Afghanistan total disaster for no reason whatsoever,” Trump said at a news conference alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. “We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we’re going to leave it with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram, the big air base, one of the biggest air bases in the world. We gave it to [the Taliban] for nothing.
“We’re trying to get it back, by the way, OK. 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 continued, adding: “But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
He offered few details on how the U.S. could reacquire the base. When reached for comment, a Pentagon spokesperson said, “We do not have anything to provide at this time and refer you to the White House.” The White House did not immediately return an inquiry asking for further details on Trump’s plan and whether he planned to deploy U.S. troops back to the country.
“I’d like to get it back,” Trump later told reporters on Air Force One as he flew home to Washington after a two-day trip. “They need a lot from us, and I’d like to get it back.”
“It was gross incompetence to give that up,” he continued. “It’s one of the most powerful bases in the world in terms of runway strength and length. … You could land anything on there. You can land a planet on top of there.”
It is unclear if the U.S. has had any new direct or indirect conversations with the Taliban government about returning to the country. But Trump hinted that the Taliban, who have struggled with an economic crisis, international legitimacy, internal rifts and rival militant groups since their return to power in 2021, could be open to allow the U.S. military to return.
While the U.S. and the Taliban have no formal diplomatic ties, the sides have had hostage conversations. An American man who was abducted more than two years ago while traveling through Afghanistan as a tourist was released by the Taliban in March.
Last week, the Taliban also said they reached an agreement with U.S. envoys on an exchange of prisoners as part of an effort to normalize relations between the United States and Afghanistan.
The Taliban gave no details of a detainee swap, and the White House did not comment on the meeting in Kabul or the results described in a Taliban statement. The Taliban released photographs from their talks, showing their foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, with Trump’s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler.
The Afghan government did not offer an immediate response to Trump’s remarks, but rebuked him earlier on Thursday with a statement disputing his comments on the country’s drug trade.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
