"An hour's distance from China's nuclear weapons."
Afghanistan responds to Trump's desire for Bagram Air Base
Afghanistan rejected US President Donald Trump's statements about his desire to restore Bagram Air Base on its territory and his saying that it is an hour away from where China manufactures its nuclear weapons.
The second political director of
the Afghan Foreign Ministry, Zakir Jalali, said in response to President Trump's intention regarding the Bagram base that the military presence has never been accepted by Afghans throughout history.
He stressed that this possibility was completely
rejected during the Doha talks and the agreement.
Relationships based on mutual respect
Jalali wrote on the X platform:
- "Afghanistan and the United States need to interact with each other
- and can establish economic and political relations based on mutual respect
- and common interests, without the United States maintaining
any military presence in any part of Afghanistan".
The spacious airport was considered the main base for US forces in Afghanistan during the two decades of war that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington by Al-Qaeda.
Trump indicated on Thursday that
- the United States might be able to obtain the base with some approval
- from the Islamic government in Afghanistan but it was not clear
Huge task
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity
- said there were no active plans to militarily seize Bagram Air Base
- which the United States abandoned along with the rest of the country
- upon its surprise and unorganized withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
"Any attempt to retake the base would be a huge undertaking,"
the official added.
He explained that this would require tens of thousands of soldiers to seize and hold the base, a costly effort to repair it, and enormous logistical challenges to resupply it — as it would be an isolated American enclave in a landlocked country.
Even after
the US military takes control of
the base, it will take a major effort to clear and tighten control over the vast ocean around it to prevent the area from being used to launch missiles at US forces inside the base. According to a statement by the American official.
"I don't see how this could happen on the ground," he added.
Risks outweigh gains
A former senior US defense official downplayed the benefits of retaking the base, including its proximity to China highlighted by Trump.
"I don't think there's a particular military advantage to being there," the former official said. The risks somewhat outweigh the gains.