The Taliban has firmly rejected the possibility of allowing U.S. forces to return to Bagram Airbase, a once-critical American military hub in Afghanistan, abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal.  Kommersant reports that Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid declared in an interview with The Times, that the group would not tolerate any renewed U.S. military presence on Afghan soil.

“We expelled the Americans from the Islamic Emirate and will not accept their return,” Mujahid said, as quoted by Kommersant. He emphasized that Bagram is Afghan property and any U.S. intentions to reclaim the base are “unacceptable.”

The statement came in direct response to recent remarks by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who during a visit to the UK on September 18, expressed interest in regaining control of Bagram due to its strategic proximity to China.  “It’s an hour away from where China produces its nuclear weapons,” Trump stated, indicating the base's potential role in surveillance operations against Beijing. Bagram lies roughly 500 miles from the Chinese border.

Strategic base with a controversial past

Originally built during the Soviet era, Bagram Airbase became the largest American military installation in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion in 2001. For two decades, it functioned as a self-contained military city, starkly contrasting with surrounding Afghan regions.  Since the U.S. and NATO withdrawal in August 2021, the base has remained under Taliban control but has not been in use and is now in a state of disrepair.

Despite speculation about U.S. strategic interests in the region, analysts say a return would be logistically and politically fraught. “The Taliban has drawn a red line at any foreign military presence,” said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert at the Wilson Center, noting that while the group is open to easing tensions with Washington, Bagram remains non-negotiable.

High cost of reoccupation

According to Reuters, any American effort to reclaim and reactivate the base would require the deployment of tens of thousands of troops to rebuild infrastructure, reestablish logistics, and restore full operational capacity. Given Bagram’s landlocked location and deteriorated state, such a move would be both costly and complex.