Taliban oppose Trump's bid to retake Bagram air base

The Taliban government on Sunday rejected US President Donald Trump's bid to retake Bagram Air Base, four years after America's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan left the major military facility in Taliban hands.

It is not clear what discussions the U.S. has had with Afghan officials about the return. But Trump has suggested that the Taliban, which has struggled with an economic crisis, international legitimacy, internal divisions and rival militant groups since returning to power in 2021, may be open to allowing U.S. troops to return, the AP reports.

The Taliban's main spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, has rejected Trump's claims and urged the US to have a policy of "realism and rationality." 

"Afghanistan had an economically oriented foreign policy and sought constructive relations with all states based on mutual and shared interests," Mujahid wrote in X.

He said that the US had been consistently communicated in all bilateral negotiations that the independence and territorial integrity of Afghanistan were of great importance. 

"We must remember that, under the Doha Agreement, the United States pledged that it 'will not use or threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor will it interfere in its internal affairs,'" he added. 

also World 9 months ago Trump says US aims to regain control of Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan

In August last year, the Taliban celebrated the third anniversary of taking control of Bagram with a grand military display of abandoned American equipment, attracting the attention of the White House. 

Trump has repeatedly criticized his predecessor, Joe Biden, for his "gross incompetence" during the withdrawal of US forces after the country's longest war.