Afghanistan Peace CampaignIt was not immediately clear how far talks over the return of the base, which the U.S. military left four years ago, to American control have progressed or how they were conducted.
In a response to The Washington Post on Friday, the Taliban government’s chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, declined to comment on Trump’s comments. “We have already stated our position in the past,” he said in a voice note, adding that “this would be a repetition.” Mujahid and other Taliban officials had previously ruled out any U.S. military presence in the country.
Taliban leaders have pushed hard to break their isolation, arguing that their stance on human rights is a “domestic matter” that should be free from foreign interference. The Taliban also want sanctions against them dropped and access restored to central bank assets that the United States froze after their violent takeover.
Earlier this year, Russia became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban as the legitimate authority in Afghanistan, a move that Moscow said would allow for increased coordination on counterterrorism. An affiliate of the Islamic State group that maintains a presence in Afghanistan’s east asserted responsibility for an attack in Russia last year.
Despite considerable international pressure, the Taliban have not significantly moderated any of their positions on the rights of women and girls since taking power in 2021.
While the United States has not granted the Taliban formal recognition, senior U.S. officials have met with the group to negotiate the release of Americans held in Afghanistan.
Adam Boehler, special envoy for hostage response, was photographed this month in Kabul meeting with Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. The Taliban later released a statement that the two sides had agreed to a prisoner swap as part of an effort to normalize relations. Boehler did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Bagram, about 40 miles north of Kabul in Parwan province, had served as the center of the U.S. counterterrorism campaign across Afghanistan after the 2001 invasion. The base was built for the Soviet Union in the 1950s, but with two large concrete runways, it was later able to serve as the launch site for fighter jets, cargo planes and drones during the U.S. military presence.
The site also became notorious for detention centers where torture occurred under the watch of U.S. and Afghan officials, according to reports from the United Nations, human rights groups and the U.S. government itself.
The air base itself was handed over to the Afghan government in July 2021 as the U.S. military prepared to withdraw. It was overrun by Taliban forces the following month and has since seen little use.