US Officials Dismiss Rumours Of Bagram Air Base Return
Senior US officials have denied reports that American forces have returned to Afghanistan or are preparing to take control of Bagram Air Base.
Senior US officials have denied reports that American forces have returned to Afghanistan or are preparing to take control of Bagram Air Base.
Two sources in Washington told Afghanistan International they “strongly reject” the rumours, insisting that no US troops are present in Afghanistan. A senior Pentagon official said that there are no American forces in Afghanistan.
The rumours intensified after internet and telecom services were cut across Afghanistan last week. Social media posts suggested the Taliban had ordered residents near Bagram to vacate the area and were preparing to hand over the facility north of Kabul to the United States.
Some activists also claimed prisoners had been removed from Bagram airfield, fuelling speculation of a pending US return. The claims followed remarks by former US President Donald Trump, who said he was in talks with the Taliban to reclaim the base and warned “bad things” would happen if it was not returned.
American officials consider Bagram strategically important for countering China’s regional influence and combating Islamic State militants. The Taliban, however, has rejected any notion of ceding control. Its army chief declared that not one inch of Afghanistan’s soil would be handed to the US.
Despite this, Foreign Policy magazine recently suggested a potential agreement over Bagram cannot be ruled out. It noted that a US return could be negotiated directly with the Taliban, facilitated through third countries such as Qatar, the UAE or Uzbekistan, or managed by a joint military-civilian consortium.
