Afghanistan Peace CampaignTrump claimed that the base is now under China’s control, a claim previously dismissed as baseless by Afghanistan’s caretaker government.
US President Donald Trump once again harshly criticized the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan during a cabinet meeting, calling it “the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”
Trump questioned the performance of military commanders, particularly Mark Milley, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, pointing to the abandonment of military equipment and the loss of Bagram Airbase.
Trump criticized: “They left all that equipment behind and every year they have a parade down from street with the equipment. With all that equipment that they left, they should have taken every ounce of it. Every screw, every bolt, every nail you take out of there. And Millie said, I remember one time, so we’re better off leaving the equipment. Why? It’s cheaper to leave $150 million airplane rather than flying it into Pakistan or India or some place. Yes, sir. That’s when I knew he was not an idiot. Didn’t take long to figure that one out. They left their dignity behind. It was the most embarrassing moment in my opinion in the history of my country.”
The US president further recalled Bagram Airbase, saying that it held strategic importance for Washington due to its proximity to China’s nuclear weapons production centers.
Trump claimed that the base is now under China’s control a claim previously dismissed as baseless by Afghanistan’s caretaker government.
Trump said: “We had Afghanistan, which I think was the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country, and we would have gotten out. I was the one that got him down. I would have kept Bagram, the big air base, which right now is controlled by China. Among the most powerful runways in the world. Thick, thick with concrete and seal. Anything could land. And right now, they were one hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
However, experts say the US should reconsider its military presence in Afghanistan, as Afghans will not allow it.
“Although the US is a superpower and influences some Islamic countries, especially Arab ones, it is mistaken in this matter Afghans will never tolerate foreign military presence on their soil. They must reconsider this,” said Yousuf Amin Zazai, a military analyst.
Trump’s harsh remarks on Afghanistan come as, over seven months into his second term as president, he has yet to announce any official or clear policy regarding Afghanistan.