Why does Trump want to retake control of Afghanistan’s Bagram air base?

Bagram air base, once the centrepiece of United States and Nato military operations in Afghanistan, has a suitor in President Donald Trump who announced his intention to bring it back under American control.

The base, which was abandoned during the chaotic US withdrawal in 2021, remains under Taliban control today.

While the base has long been recognised for its military importance, experts and former officials have raised concerns about the enormous challenges involved in reclaiming it.

The Afghan government, led by the Taliban, has categorically rejected the idea of any renewed US military presence.

During a joint press conference in London on Thursday, Trump, standing alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump described the facility as vital to US national security because of its geographic proximity to western China, where several of China’s nuclear weapons programmes are based.

“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said. “One of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons. So a lot of things are happening, but I am very disappointed in the fact that that one’s not settled.”

At the start of his second term in January, Trump had listed the base among his top defence priorities.

Trump has also repeatedly criticised former President Joe Biden’s handling of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, calling it reckless and claiming it left critical facilities, weapons, and other assets vulnerable to enemy forces.

He has asserted that billions of dollars worth of military equipment were abandoned at Bagram during the pullout.

In February this year, Trump publicly complained that Biden had given up the base unnecessarily, insisting there had been a plan to maintain a limited US presence there.

This was despite the February 2020 Doha Agreement, signed during Trump’s first term, which required the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Afghanistan.

“This was an incredible strategic asset,” Trump said at the time. “We never should have left it.”

Why Bagram’s location is strategically significant

Bagram air base is located approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of Kabul, in Afghanistan’s Parwan province.

It sits at an elevation of 1,492 metres (4,895 feet) and has long been considered one of the most strategically valuable military sites in the region due to its location at the crossroads of Central and South Asia.

The base was originally built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s during the early stages of the Cold War. At the time, both Washington and Moscow were competing for influence in Afghanistan and its surrounding region.

In 1959, US President Dwight Eisenhower even landed at Bagram during a historic visit to Afghanistan.

The facility includes two concrete runways. The main runway measures 11,819 feet in length, allowing it to handle large transport and combat aircraft such as the Lockheed Martin C-5 Galaxy.

A second runway, measuring 9,687 feet, serves as a backup. The base also has three large hangars, a modern control tower, housing areas for personnel, more than 13 hectares of aircraft ramp space, and over 110 fortified aircraft dispersal revetments.

At its height under US control, Bagram functioned as a small city. It housed tens of thousands of US and coalition troops, a 50-bed hospital with advanced surgical facilities, and even Western amenities such as Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway, and coffee shops.

The base also included a massive prison complex known as the Parwan Detention Facility, where high-value Taliban and al Qaeda prisoners were held. Over the years, the prison became a source of controversy due to allegations of secret detention sites and abuses.

Bagram’s location gives it access to several key regions. To the west lies Iran, to the north are Central Asian states, and to the east is China’s western Xinjiang province.

Analysts have noted that its proximity to China could make it a hub for surveillance and reconnaissance missions, which is part of the reasoning behind Trump’s renewed interest in the site.

China has been rapidly expanding its nuclear arsenal. The Pentagon reported in 2024 that Beijing had approximately 600 operational nuclear warheads, a number expected to rise to 1,000 by 2030.

Key Chinese facilities are located in Xinjiang, including the Lop Nur nuclear test site, as well as new missile silo fields in Hami and Yumen.

In 2019, Trump even visited Bagram during his first term to celebrate Thanksgiving with American troops.

How Bagram fell amidst US withdrawal

For nearly two decades, Bagram was the focal point of US operations in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001 attacks. It served as the headquarters for the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing of the US Air Force and hosted rotating units from across the coalition.

However, following the signing of the Doha Agreement in February 2020, plans were set in motion for a complete withdrawal of foreign troops.

By mid-2021, US forces had begun evacuating their positions across Afghanistan.

On July 1, 2021, US troops abruptly vacated Bagram in a nighttime operation without notifying their Afghan allies.

They cut off the base’s electricity and departed quietly, leaving behind facilities and equipment. The following day, the Afghan National Army took control of the site but soon faced looting by local civilians.

Just six weeks later, on August 15, 2021, the Taliban swept into Kabul as the Afghan government collapsed. Bagram fell the same day, and the Taliban freed thousands of prisoners from its detention facility, including senior Taliban and al Qaeda figures.

The fall of Bagram and the speed of the Taliban takeover shocked the world and marked a dramatic end to 20 years of US-led intervention.

The episode has since been the subject of intense scrutiny in Washington. The Pentagon continues to review the withdrawal to identify lessons learned.

In August 2024, the Taliban celebrated the third anniversary of their victory with a major event at Bagram.

Why retaking Bagram won’t be an easy task for Trump

While Trump has been vocal about his desire to return to Bagram, US military experts and former officials have expressed doubts about whether such a plan is realistic.

A US official, speaking anonymously to Reuters, described the enormous scale of the operation that would be required.

“It would require tens of thousands of troops to take and hold Bagram air base,” the official said. “It would be an isolated US enclave in a landlocked country.”

Securing the base would also involve repairing its infrastructure, which has deteriorated since 2021, and establishing reliable supply lines. The perimeter of the facility is vast, and keeping it safe from rocket attacks or infiltration would demand significant manpower.

Even if the Taliban agreed to an arrangement allowing the US to return, the base would face persistent threats from ISIS, al Qaeda, and other terror groups active in Afghanistan.

Regional powers could also target Bagram directly. In June this year, Iranian forces struck a major US base in Qatar after American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, putting into spotlight the vulnerability of such installations.

A former senior US defence official questioned whether the base’s proximity to China justified the risks. “I don’t think there’s a particular military advantage to being up there,” the official said.

“The risks sort of outweigh the advantages.”

How Taliban has reacted

The Taliban government has issued a strong response to Trump’s comments, making it clear that Afghanistan will not permit a renewed US military presence.

“Afghanistan and the US need to interact with each other and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect and common interests,” Zakir Jalaly, an official at the Taliban Foreign Ministry, said on X.

“The Afghans have not accepted a military presence in history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the door is open for further interaction.”

While rejecting military cooperation, the Taliban has shown some willingness to engage on humanitarian and political issues.

The group has been seeking greater international recognition and economic relief as it grapples with a severe financial crisis and governance challenges, including internal divisions and threats from rival groups such as the Islamic State’s local affiliate and remnants of al Qaeda.

Trump himself hinted that the Taliban might eventually agree to an arrangement, saying, “We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us.” This suggested that Washington could potentially use aid or diplomatic concessions as leverage in negotiations.

How US-Taliban talks are faring

Although Washington does not formally recognise the Taliban government, limited dialogue has continued on specific humanitarian and security issues, particularly the release of detained Americans.

In recent weeks, US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler and former US envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad travelled to Kabul for talks with Taliban officials, including Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi.

The discussions centred on the fate of American citizens being held in Afghanistan.

The Taliban later announced they had reached an agreement with US envoys for a prisoner exchange aimed at normalising relations between the two sides. Photographs released by the Taliban showed Boehler and Khalilzad meeting with Muttaqi.

The White House has not commented publicly on the outcome of the meeting.

Earlier this year, in March, the Taliban released an American tourist who had been kidnapped more than two years prior, a move widely seen as a goodwill gesture in ongoing negotiations.

While these contacts demonstrate that some level of US-Taliban dialogue continues, there has been no indication from either side that Bagram or other military matters were discussed directly.

For now, the Taliban position remains firm: no foreign troops on Afghan soil.

With inputs from agencies