Taliban Rejects US Plan to Reclaim Bagram Air Base | China Warns of Regional Tensions
Afghanistan’s Taliban government dismisses Donald Trump’s statement on retaking Bagram Air Base, urging the US to respect Afghan sovereignty as China cautions against escalating conflict near its borders.
By Real contentPublished 4 months ago • 4 min read
Taliban Reject US Plans to Retake Bagram Air Base
The Taliban government in Afghanistan has rejected the US announcement about taking back control of Bagram Air Base, saying that “those harboring such ambitions should look at the history of Afghanistan.”
On Friday, Suhail Shaheen, the Taliban government’s ambassador in Qatar, referring to US President Donald Trump’s statement, said:
“If they want good relations with us, investment in Afghanistan, trade, and diplomatic ties, then we welcome them.”
He added:
“But if they have greed-driven motives, they should read Afghanistan’s history — from the British invasions to the recent US occupation. They will learn a lot from it.”
Earlier, Zakir Jalali, an Afghan foreign ministry official, had said in a post on ‘X’ that during the Doha negotiations and the subsequent agreement, any possibility of such an arrangement had been categorically rejected.
Jalali further said that without any US military presence in Afghanistan, both countries could establish political and economic relations based on mutual respect and shared interests.
This statement from Afghanistan’s interim government came in response to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump, who said that the US wanted to retake control of Bagram Air Base because of its strategic importance, being close to China.
China reacted strongly to the US plan to regain Bagram, saying that “escalating tensions and creating conflict” goes against the aspirations of the people.
A spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry said that the Afghan people should decide their country’s future.
He added that China respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and hopes all parties will play a constructive role in promoting regional peace and stability.
On Thursday, at the end of his two-day visit to the UK, US President Donald Trump held a joint press conference with the British Prime Minister.
When asked by a journalist from The Economist about negotiations on the Russia–Ukraine issue, Trump indirectly criticized the former Biden administration, saying:
“If American leadership had mattered in Russia’s eyes, this would never have happened.”
Criticizing the previous administration further, Trump said:
“The withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan, without any reason, was very shameful. We could have left Afghanistan in a powerful and honorable way.”
He added:
“We are going to take back Bagram Air Base, which is one of the largest military bases in the world.”
Trump continued:
“We are trying to take it back. This may be a little breaking news for you. We are trying to reclaim it.”
According to him, one reason for retaking the base is that Bagram is only an hour away from China’s nuclear weapons facilities.
It should be remembered that Bagram was one of the US’s largest overseas military bases. The US vacated it in 2021 during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
This is not the first time Trump has spoken about Bagram’s importance and the need to reclaim it. During his first press conference with his cabinet after assuming office, he regretted the decision to vacate Bagram.
He had said the US should not have abandoned Bagram. Almost every time Trump mentioned the base in Parwan province, north of Kabul, he immediately linked it to China, claiming that “China has taken over Bagram.”
Most recently, in July 2025, Trump said during a cabinet meeting:
“If it had been up to me, I would have kept the major Bagram base. Now it’s under China’s control. (Bagram) has one of the most powerful runways in the world, made of concrete and steel. It was a massive base — surrounded by hundreds of kilometers of fortified walls, highly secure, and impenetrable.”
What Do Recent Satellite Images of Bagram Show?
Satellite images before the US withdrawal and after the Taliban takeover show clear differences. We reviewed many satellite images taken at different times.
For example, a Planet Labs satellite image dated 24 September 2020 showed at least 35 aircraft parked at the base. However, about a year after the Taliban took power, not a single aircraft could be seen across the entire base.
In addition, hundreds of containers were removed from several parts of the base. These might have been used for logistics storage. It appears that containers were either moved out of Bagram or relocated within different areas of the base.
In at least two locations, around 40 containers were moved.
At another spot on the base, over 100 vehicles were parked together, suggesting they were collected there after the Taliban takeover.
In satellite images taken over the past three years, vehicles are rarely seen moving along the internal roads of the base.
From these images, it can be said that no major structural changes have occurred at Bagram Air Base.
Except for a February 2025 image showing a helicopter on the runway, no other images between mid-2021 and April 2025 show any aircraft.
According to Jennifer Jun, this does not necessarily mean no aircraft ever came to the base during the past four years.
“It’s possible aircraft movements did not coincide with the times when satellites captured images, or that aircraft were moved to secure shelters.”
Jun added that some early 2025 images showed dark marks on the ground in parts of the base, possibly oil storage.
She emphasized that the most important aspect of the base is the condition of its runway. For safety, every operational runway is kept clear of debris.
The April 2025 images show both runways in good condition. However, no aircraft are visible.
She concluded that Bagram Air Base appears to remain in the same condition as when US forces withdrew.
Why is Bagram Important?
The importance of Bagram Air Base, located in Parwan province north of Kabul, can be judged by the fact that three US presidents — George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump — have visited it over the past two decades.
Joe Biden also visited in 2011, though at the time he was vice president.
The Soviet Union originally built the base in the 1950s in Parwan province. During the 1980s, it was considered one of the most important Soviet bases during their occupation of Afghanistan.
Following the 9/11 attacks and the US declaration of the “War on Terror,” American forces entered and occupied the base in December 2001.
For nearly two decades, Bagram was the central hub for operations against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Spanning 77 square kilometers, it housed barracks and living quarters capable of accommodating more than 10,000 troops at once.
One of Bagram’s two runways is more than 2.5 km long. According to Trump:
It has the strongest and largest concrete runway the runway’s thickness is about two meters.
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