The United States is trying to reclaim Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan “back” from the Taliban, President Donald Trump said on Thursday.
Trump made the surprise announcement about the base during a press conference alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
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“We’re trying to get it back by the way, that could be a little breaking news,” Trump said. “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us.”
The U.S. military gave up control of the air base before it departed from Afghanistan in 2021. This coincided with the Taliban’s rise to power, when they overthrew the Ghani government and the U.S.-backed Afghan Army.
The U.S. hasn’t had a military presence in Afghanistan since Aug. 30, 2021. It’s unclear whether the Trump administration intends to put U.S. troops there if the air base is reacquired from the Taliban. It’s also unclear whether the Taliban is willing to give up the air base and what the U.S. may have to offer in exchange.
“We want that base back, 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,” Trump added.
Under Trump, the U.S. military has continued shifting its priorities away from the Middle East and toward homeland security and threats in the Pacific.
During Trump’s first term, his administration agreed to a deal with the Taliban that set out a future withdrawal date for U.S. forces as long as certain criteria were met. The Trump administration cut the Ghani government out of those negotiations.
During the press conference, Trump said the U.S. would have “left with strength and dignity” under his leadership.
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Former President Joe Biden moved up the exit date during his term and carried out the withdrawal, but not without scrutiny.
In the final week of the U.S. military’s 20-year war in Afghanistan, an ISIS-K suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. service members and about 170 other Afghans trying to flee the country. In the U.S.’s effort to try to stop a similar attack days later, U.S. forces carried out a drone strike that killed 10 civilians. The U.S. has since admitted it targeted an innocent individual who was perceived as a threat.