Row Over Bagram Air Base Deepens as Trump, Taliban Trade Threats
The row over Bagram Air Base has deepened, with President Donald Trump and Taliban leaders trading increasingly tough statements.
The Taliban on Sunday called on US President Donald Trump to respect Washington’s commitments under the Doha Agreement, following his warning of “bad things” if Bagram Air Base is not returned to American control.
In a statement, the group reminded Washington that the 2020 accord carried a pledge “not to use force or threats against the territorial integrity and political independence of Afghanistan. Instead of repeating the failed experiences of the past, a realistic and rational approach must be adopted,” the statement said.
Afghan Foreign Minister Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi stressed in a statement that no concessions on Bagram or Afghan soil would be made, declaring, “Even if the United States rebuilds the whole of Afghanistan anew, not even Bagram, not even an inch of land—will be given to anyone.”
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“If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Air Base back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” Trump wrote on Sunday, Sept. 21, on his Truth Social platform.
Later, the president told reporters: “We’re talking now to Afghanistan. We want it back right away, and if they don’t do it, you’re going to find out what I’m going to do.”
In response to President Trump’s remarks about retaking Bagram Air Base, Taliban army chief Fasihuddin Fitrat also emphasized on Sunday that they will not compromise on any part of Afghanistan’s territory.
“We assure our fellow countrymen that not even an inch of our land is up for negotiation,” Fitrat said. “It is completely impossible and unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, in a stark warning, Mullah Tajmir Jawad, the Taliban’s deputy intelligence chief and founder of the Al-Hamza suicide battalion, vowed to resume suicide bombings to defend Taliban rule.
Speaking in Paktia province, he declared: “As we once donned explosive vests to establish this regime, we will don them again to protect it from infidels, occupiers and all who oppose us.”
The statement amounts to an explicit threat of renewed mass-casualty attacks aimed at preserving the movement’s hold on power.
