New Delhi: Once the largest United States military installation in Afghanistan, the Bagram Airfield is back in American political debate, against the backdrop of President Donald Trump suggesting that Washington, D.C., should “take it back” from the Taliban.
Speaking to reporters in London Thursday, Trump, citing the strategic location of the Bagram Airfield near China, said, “We want that base back.”
“It’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he said, hinting at Washington, D.C., seeking some form of consent from the Taliban to get the Bagram Airfield back.
The Taliban government, however, has dismissed the prospect. Afghanistan and the US should engage, “without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan”, Zakir Jalal, a foreign ministry official, wrote on social media Friday.
Kabul is ready to pursue political and economic ties with Washington, D.C., based on “mutual respect and shared interests”, Jalal further said.
China has distanced itself from Trump’s remarks. Asked about the comments of the American President, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Spokesperson Lin Jian said China “respects Afghanistan’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity”, urging all parties to act constructively to maintain regional peace and stability.
“The future and destiny of Afghanistan…,” Lin Jian emphasised at a regular press briefing Friday, “…should be determined by the Afghan people.”
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Bagram Airfield origins & operations
Bagram Airfield’s history stretches back to the 1950s, when the erstwhile Soviet Union built it as part of its Cold War presence in Afghanistan. During the Soviet-Afghan War of the 1980s, it became a hub of combat operations, hosting squadrons of the MiG-21 and MiG-23 fighters, the Su-17 and Su-25 ground-attack jets, transport aircraft such as the Il-76 and An-12, and helicopter units, including Mi-8s and the heavily armed Mi-24 “Hind”.
After the Soviet Union’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, Bagram Airfield receded into the background as the chaos of civil war took hold. After it suffered heavy damage, the Bagram Airfield switched hands—from the Taliban to the Northern Alliance—with the US forces seizing it in late 2001, weeks after the 11 September terrorist attacks. The Americans quickly transformed the airbase from a battered outpost into a sprawling military city.
At the base are two runways, and one of them is 12,000 feet long and accommodates all aircraft, from cargo planes to heavy bombers. F-15s, F-16s, and A-10 attack aircraft, as well as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), flew missions from Bagram Airfield. C-17s and C-130 transport aircraft ferrying supplies, as well as helicopters moving troops into remote valleys, also took off from Bagram.
More than an airfield, Bagram became the backbone of the US military’s logistics in Afghanistan, with food, fuel, vehicles, and spare parts flowing through its warehouses before reaching the frontline troops. The Defence Logistics Agency was the firm maintaining vast storage facilities, including fuel depots, at Bagram Airfield. The firm ensured that all aircraft stayed up and the ground convoys continued to move.
Reports from the time indicate that the US Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) at Bagram Airfield ran a joint targeting working group, receiving information on a prioritised list of insurgent leaders for capture or killing.
Many Predator and Reaper drones took off from the US bases. On the other hand, Bagram Airfield acted as a hub. It was significant for unmanned aerial vehicle operations by the local launch crews and received real-time footage of drone surveillance, as well as strike assignments. So, Bagram Airfield enabled tactical close-air support and strategic air interdiction for the US in the region.
Inside its perimeter, Bagram Airfield resembled a small American town, with aircraft shelters, maintenance yards, gyms, hospitals, and barracks. Fast-food outlets, including Burger King and Pizza Hut, served the US troops. Small shops on the campus sold electronics and Afghan rugs.
Moreover, Bagram Airfield was known for its Parwan detention complex, which housed thousands of Taliban and al-Qaeda suspects. It drew criticism from human rights groups, which compared the Parwan site to “Afghanistan’s Guantánamo” while citing reports of harsh treatment on the CIA-run site on Bagram Airfield.
For the insurgents, Bagram represented the occupation forces and one of the frequent targets of their attacks. In 2007, a suicide car bomb exploded near the airbase gate during a visit of US Vice President Dick Cheney, killing 23 people. In 2015, a Taliban suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed six American service members near the perimeter. Rocket attacks and infiltration attempts constantly threatened Bagram throughout its history.
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Why Trump wants Bagram back
On Thursday, US President Trump again criticised the US withdrawal from Afghanistan under the orders of his predecessor, Joe Biden, saying it was a “total disaster, for no reason whatsoever”.
“We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to do so with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram, the big air base, one of the largest, but we gave it up for nothing,” Trump said.
However, the agreement negotiated by the first Trump administration with the Taliban in February 2020 also did not include provisions for retaining Bagram. The deal established a ceasefire between US and Taliban forces and set a timetable for a full withdrawal over 14 months.
On 2 July 2021, the US formally vacated Bagram and turned the base over to the Afghan government. Weeks later, Afghan troops abandoned it. The Taliban entered Bagram on 15 August, the same day that Kabul fell. Thousands of prisoners, including senior Taliban and Al-Qaeda members, were freed.
Former defence secretary Lloyd Austin told the US Congress that retaining Bagram would have required more troops—in thousands—and Washington was unwilling to commit.
Moreover, billions of dollars’ worth of US equipment remained behind in Bagram, with the Pentagon estimating the total value of the machines at $7 billion. Some sensitive gear, however, was flown out before the final withdrawal.
Currently, the airbase holds particular strategic importance relative to China due to its proximity to Xinjiang—an hour’s flight away—where China reportedly houses its key nuclear weapons programmes.
China is reported to operate extensive nuclear missile silo fields near Hami and Yumen, alongside the Lop Nur nuclear test site.
A 2021 study by the Federation of American Scientists (FAS), based on satellite imagery, identified extensive construction activity near Hami in northwestern Xinjiang, indicative of the development of new nuclear missile silos. Such facilities are central to China’s ongoing efforts to modernise and expand its nuclear programme.
Moreover, the control of Bagram could provide the US a critical vantage point to monitor China’s nuclear activities. It could also disrupt the key Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) logistics, projecting US influence across Central Asia. Lastly, the airbase would offer the US strategic access to nearby regions, including Pakistan, Iran, and other parts of Central Asia.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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