Trump’s Push for Bagram Air Base Control

During a press conference on Thursday with British Prime Minister Kiel Starmer, President Donald Trump mentioned efforts to regain control of the Bagram Air Force Base located in Parwan, Afghanistan, currently under Taliban control.

“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump stated. “The Taliban needs it from us.” This base, which is about 27 miles north of Kabul, had been under Soviet management until their withdrawal in the late 1980s. After the Taliban regime was ousted in 2001, the U.S. took over the base and made significant enhancements.

“It’s exactly an hour away from where China is making its nuclear missiles,” Trump emphasized. The chaotic withdrawal led by the Biden administration resulted in a suicide bombing by ISIS-K near Hamid Karzai International Airport, tragically killing 11 U.S. service members.

In his first cabinet meeting post-presidency, Trump hinted that the U.S. might continue providing aid to Afghanistan to help reclaim the airfield. He criticized Biden’s withdrawal efforts and explained, “We were going to keep Bagram – not for Afghanistan, but for China.”

Satellite images indicated that China was developing a nuclear missile silo field close to Afghanistan in 2021. The distance from Bagram to these missile sites is significant, being roughly 1,414 miles as the crow flies.

An analysis from the Washington, D.C.-based Orion Policy Institute noted that since the U.S. left Bagram Air Force Base in July 2021, the military presence near Central Asia has diminished. Regaining this base could reinforce U.S. influence in the area and counteract China’s growing power and nuclear capabilities.

“We want to get that base back, primarily because, as you know, China is just an hour away from where they manufacture nuclear weapons. There’s a lot at stake,” Trump concluded on Thursday.