The Taliban authorities connected Sunday (September 21, 2025) rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s bid to retake Bagram Air Base, 4 years aft America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan near the sprawling subject installation successful the Taliban hands.
It is unclear what conversations the U.S. has had with Afghan officials astir returning to the country. But Mr. Trump hinted that the Taliban, who person struggled with an economical crisis, planetary legitimacy, interior rifts and rival militant groups since their instrumentality to powerfulness successful 2021, could beryllium unfastened to allowing the U.S. subject back.
The main Taliban spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, rejected Trump’s assertions and urged the U.S. to follow a argumentation of “realism and rationality.” Afghanistan had an economy-oriented overseas argumentation and sought constructive relations with each states connected the ground of communal and shared interests, Mr. Mujahid posted connected X.
It had been consistently communicated to the U.S. successful each bilateral negotiations that Afghanistan’s independency and territorial integrity were of the utmost importance, helium said.
“It should beryllium recalled that, nether the Doha Agreement, the United States pledged that ‘it volition not usage oregon endanger unit against the territorial integrity oregon governmental independency of Afghanistan, nor interfere successful its interior affairs,’” helium said. The U.S. needed to stay faithful to its commitments, helium added.
Mujahid did not reply to questions from The Associated Press astir conversations with the Trump medication regarding Bagram and wherefore Mr. Trump believed the U.S. could retake it.
In August past year, the Taliban celebrated the 3rd day of their takeover astatine Bagram with a expansive subject show of abandoned U.S. hardware, catching the oculus of the White House. Mr. Trump has repeatedly criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for his “gross incompetence” during the withdrawal of U.S. forces aft the country’s longest war.
