A senior Taliban intelligence official has warned that the group could resume suicide bombings to defend its rule, a threat delivered shortly after US President Donald Trump said Washington is exploring a return to Bagram Air Base.
Taliban-run state television on Saturday broadcast an audio message attributed to Tajmir Jawad, deputy head of the group’s intelligence service and widely described as the “architect of suicide attacks.”
Jawad said Taliban fighters used suicide bombings to bring the group to power and would be prepared to use them again to preserve its control. He pledged to sacrifice himself “piece by piece” for the Taliban’s survival and branded opponents as “infidels and occupiers.”
The remarks followed Trump’s comments in London on Thursday that the United States wanted to return to Bagram, and his statement a day later at the White House confirming talks with the Taliban. Jawad did not name Trump directly, but the timing of his remarks was seen as a veiled response.
Jawad, a senior member of the Haqqani network, was appointed deputy intelligence chief after the Taliban’s 2021 takeover. The former Afghan government accused him of involvement in major attacks, including the 2020 assault on Kabul University that killed 22 students and wounded more than 40. Islamic State’s local affiliate claimed responsibility, but officials in Kabul said Jawad helped plan the attack.
He has also been linked to a suicide bombing at Kabul Bank in Nangarhar province that left dozens dead. In recent years, he has repeatedly signalled that suicide operations remain a tool the Taliban could use to safeguard its rule.
