Trump demands Bagram airbase, ‘not possible’ Taliban says
Trump threatened punishment against Afghanistan if the base was not returned, four years after it was abandoned by US troops in a deal he brokered
An Afghan government defence official said Sunday that a deal over Bagram airbase was “not possible”, after US President Donald Trump said he wanted the former US base back.
Bagram, the largest airbase in Afghanistan, located north of the capital Kabul, was the centre of US operations in their 20-year year-war against the Taliban.
Trump threatened unspecified punishment against Afghanistan if it was not returned – four years after it was abandoned by US troops.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, bad things are going to happen!” the 79-year-old leader posted on social media.
On Sunday, Fasihuddin Fitrat, chief of staff of Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defence, said “some people” want to take back the base through a “political deal”.
“Recently, some people have said that they have entered negotiations with Afghanistan for taking back Bagram airbase,” he said in comments broadcast by local media.