Afghans Never Accepted Foreign Military Presence: Jalali

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) has responded to recent remarks by US President Donald Trump regarding the potential retaking of Bagram Airbase, stating that Afghans have historically never accepted foreign military presence.

Trump claimed that the United States was seeking to regain control of the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan.

“We're trying to get it back, by the way - that could be a little breaking news,” Trump said on September 18 during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London.

In response, Zakir Jalali, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote in a post on X:“Afghans have never accepted military presence throughout history, and this possibility was completely ruled out during the Doha negotiations and agreement.

However, the doors for further engagement remain open.”

He added that Afghanistan and the United States should engage with each other and can maintain economic and political relations based on mutual respect and shared interests - without any U.S. military presence in any part of Afghanistan.

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