Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base Reportedly Handed Over to US
In a move that has sent ripples through diplomatic and intelligence circles, reports have emerged suggesting the Taliban may have quietly handed over control of eastern Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base to the United States.
According to Khaama Press, an Afghan media outlet, a US C-17 military aircraft recently landed at the Bagram air base.
Reports indicate that the aircraft departed from Al Udeid Air Base in Doha and flew to Afghanistan via Pakistan, landing at Bagram.
A report also stated that the aircraft delivered not only military vehicles and intelligence hardware assets but also high-ranking intelligence personnel, including CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis— raising more questions than answers about Washington’s next move.
Though officially unconfirmed, the development points to continued American intelligence interests in Afghanistan.
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The reported presence of senior CIA officials at Bagram suggests a possible effort to re-establish US intelligence networks in the region. No official statements have been released by Washington, the Pentagon, or Islamabad to confirm the details or purpose of this operation.
The Taliban’s chief spokesperson, Zabihullah Mujahid, dismissed the reports outright, calling them “baseless.”
Speaking to The Media Line, Mujahid denied claims that a US military C-17 aircraft had landed at Bagram Air Base, labeling such reports as “propaganda” intended to mislead the public.
He reiterated the Taliban’s position that no foreign military presence would be tolerated in Afghanistan, asserting that there is currently no justification or need for such involvement.
Meanwhile, Sikander Tirakhel, a former Afghan intelligence official, told The Media Line that “flight data from the day in question confirmed the movement of a US Air Force C-17 aircraft en route to Bagram from a Qatari airfield.”
He questioned how the Taliban spokesperson could deny the open-source aviation tracking data seemingly confirming the plane’s landing at Bagram.
“For the last many days, the Taliban Special Forces moved to secure the perimeter of Bagram Air Base,” Tirakhel said, adding that the Taliban blocked the highway leading to the facility. That level of activity is unusual and “suggests something of strategic importance may indeed have occurred,” he said.
Once the nerve center of US military operations in Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base represents both the scale of America’s long engagement in the region and the dramatic realignment of power that followed the 2021 withdrawal.
The Taliban’s takeover of the base underscored the rapid collapse of the US-backed Ashraf Ghani’s government and the resurgence of the Taliban as the dominant force.
President Donald Trump had previously vowed to retain control of Bagram Air Base, emphasizing its strategic importance beyond Afghanistan. “We are going to keep Bagram, not because of Afghanistan, but because of China,” he said last month, signaling a focus on the broader geopolitical landscape.
