President Donald Trump has been pressing US security officials for months to find a way to retake Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, CNN reported Thursday, citing three sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, discussions on restoring American control of the facility began in March. Sources said Trump views Bagram as strategically important for monitoring China, accessing Afghanistan’s rare earth minerals, establishing a counterterrorism hub against Islamic State, and potentially reopening a US diplomatic mission in the country.
One source cautioned, however, that any such move would require a renewed American military presence in Afghanistan, a step that would conflict with the 2020 Doha Agreement, signed during Trump’s first term, which mandated the complete withdrawal of US forces.
It is not clear whether the Taliban have engaged in talks over Bagram’s possible handover.
At a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday, Trump confirmed the effort his administration is trying to take back Bagram Air Base.
Trump has frequently attacked his successor, Joe Biden, over the chaotic US withdrawal in 2021, arguing it handed Taliban control of American weapons, equipment, and Bagram itself.
