Taliban Rejects Trump's Demand To Return Bagram Air Base - 'We Will Never Give It Back'

2025-10-06 03:18:04

(MENAFN- Live Mint) The Taliban has firmly rejected US President Donald Trump's call to“take back” Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan . Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said,“Afghans will never allow their land to be handed over to anyone under any circumstances,” in an interview with Sky News.

Trump, in a post on Truth Social, on September 20 warned Afghanistan that“bad things are going to happen” if they did not comply with his demand. He wrote,“If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!”

Bagram, once the largest US military base in Afghanistan, has been under Taliban control since the group returned to power after the US withdrawal in 2021. The base now houses captured US-supplied vehicles and weapons, which the Taliban display during military parades and official visits.

Trump has repeatedly criticized President Joe Biden's withdrawal from Afghanistan, arguing that it left American military assets, including Bagram, in Taliban hands.

Talks on embassies continue

Mujahid confirmed that the Taliban government has held discussions with the US regarding the reopening of embassies.“We have discussed this matter and we wish to see the embassies reopened both in Kabul and in Washington,” he said.

It has been four years since the Taliban regained power, and Russia remains the only country to formally recognize their government. Mujahid, however, claimed that other nations have offered private recognition.“It is not only Russia that has openly recognised the Islamic Emirate. There are several other countries that have extended recognition, though not publicly,” he added.

Restrictions on women and girls persist

The Taliban has imposed increasing restrictions on women and girls. Girls over the age of 12 remain barred from secondary schools, and higher education remains largely inaccessible to young women.

Mujahid, a confidante of the Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, did not promise any change.“I cannot make any promises in this regard,” he said.

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