Key Points
- Kabul insists on ties with Washington through mutual respect.
- Afghan official rules out any US military presence.
- China warns Trump’s move risks escalating regional tensions.
- Beijing stresses Afghanistan’s future must be Afghan-determined.
- Bagram hosted US operations until 2021 troop withdrawal.
- Trump aides hold talks with Taliban and Afghan officials.
ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan has rejected US President Donald Trump’s proposal to retake control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, stating that the US will not be allowed to re-establish its military presence on their soil.
A foreign ministry official declared on social media on Friday that Kabul is ready to engage with the United States (US) based on “mutual respect and shared interests.”
“Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another … without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” Zakir Jalal, a foreign ministry official, posted on social media.
Kabul is ready to pursue political and economic ties with Washington based on “mutual respect and shared interests,” he added.
ولسمشر ډونلډ ټرمپ پر بگرام د معاملې خبره کړې نوموړی تر سياست هاخوا بريالی تاجر او معاملهکوونکی دی او د بگرام د بېرته اخيستو يادونه هم د يوې معاملې له لارې کوي.
افغانستان او امريکا يو بل سره تعامل ته اړتيا لري او کولای شي د متقابل درناوي او مشترکو گټو پر بنسټ اقتصادي او سیاسي…— Zakir Jalaly – ذاکر جلالي (@zakirjalaly) September 18, 2025
Beijing warns Washington
Meanwhile, China on Friday issued a strong response to US President Donald Trump’s proposal, warning that such actions risk escalating tensions in the region.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian stated that “hyping up tensions and creating confrontation” goes against the aspirations of the people in the region.
He emphasised that Afghanistan’s future should be determined by the Afghan people themselves, China’s state-run Global Times reported.
#FMsays FM spokesman Lin Jian has expressed China's respect for #Afghanistan's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. This comes after reports that the United States is "trying" to get the former US Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan "back" from the #Taliban. While… pic.twitter.com/4EMFiPxI4a
— China Daily (@ChinaDaily) September 19, 2025
“China respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, and that the country’s future should be decided by the Afghan people,” he said.
Trump said on Thursday that his administration is seeking to “get back” the base at Bagram. The US president, who has long expressed hope of reclaiming the facility, noted that its position is strategically vital due to its proximity to China.
“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said of the air base. “It’s one of the biggest airbases in the world; we gave it to them for nothing. We’re trying to get it back. One of the reasons we want the base, as you know, is it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said.
Strategic base dispute
Bagram, originally built by the Soviets, served as a strategic hub for American operations in Afghanistan from the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks until the US withdrawal in 2021.
The departure of US and NATO troops in July 2021 marked the end of two decades of Western military presence, after which Afghan forces briefly occupied the site before the Taliban regained control, according to Reuters.
President Donald Trump has, for the first time, confirmed that his team has been engaged in talks with Taliban officials.
Over the weekend, Adam Boehler, Trump’s special envoy for hostage affairs, and Zalmay Khalilzad, former US envoy to Afghanistan, held a meeting with Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul. The discussions reportedly focused on American citizens detained in Afghanistan.
Behind-the-scenes talks
According to reports cited by CNN, US officials have been evaluating the possibility of re-establishing a presence at Bagram Air Base since at least March.
Trump and his advisers argue that regaining control of the strategic airfield would not only enhance security leverage in the region but also provide access to Afghanistan’s vast mineral resources.
