“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,” US President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post.
US President Trump said on Saturday that if Afghanistan does not give back control of the Bagram air base to the United States, “bad things” will happen.
“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Trump said on Thursday that the United States had sought to regain control of the base used by American forces following the attacks of September 11, 2001. He told reporters on Friday that he was speaking with Afghanistan about it.
The withdrawal of American forces in 2021 led to a takeover of the base by the Islamist Taliban movement.
Afghan officials have expressed opposition to a revived US presence.
A Taliban soldier enters a helicopter at Bagram Air Base in Parwan, Afghanistan, September 23, 2021. Picture taken September 23, 2021. (credit: WANA VIA REUTERS)
Taliban foreign ministry calls for bilateral engagement
“Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another … without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” Zakir Jalal, an Afghan foreign ministry official, said in a post on X on Thursday.
This is a developing story.