US President Donald Trump has issued a stern warning to Afghanistan over the return of the Bagram Air Base, saying the country would face “terrible consequences” if it does not hand back the base.
The warning has sparked fears of a renewed US military intervention in Afghanistan. Reuters reported on Sunday (September 21) that President Trump said on Saturday that if Afghanistan does not return control of the Bagram Air Base to the United States, the consequences will be dire. He also did not rule out sending US troops to reoccupy the base.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump wrote,“If Afghanistan does not return the Bagram Air Base to the people who built it — the United States — then something terrible is going to happen.”
Last Thursday, Trump said that efforts were underway to bring the base — used by the US after the September 11, 2001 attacks — back under American control. On Friday, he told reporters that talks were ongoing with Afghanistan regarding the issue.
After the US troop withdrawal in 2021, the country’s bases fell into Taliban hands and the US-backed Kabul government collapsed. Afghan officials have opposed the renewed presence of American forces.
Current and former US officials have warned that any attempt to reoccupy Bagram could be seen as renewed aggression in Afghanistan and would require the deployment of at least 10,000 troops and advanced air defense systems.
Trump has previously expressed interest in acquiring strategic territories and facilities — from the Panama Canal to Greenland — and has long emphasized the importance of Bagram Air Base.
When asked by reporters on Saturday whether he would send troops to retake the base, Trump declined to give a direct answer, saying, “I’m not going to talk about that right now. We are in talks with Afghanistan. We want it back — and quickly. If they don’t give it back, you will soon find out what I’m going to do.”
During the two-decade-long war in Afghanistan, Bagram served as the main US military base. It housed fast-food outlets like Burger King and Pizza Hut, electronics shops, Afghan carpet stores, and a large prison complex.
Experts warn that reactivating and securing the massive airbase would be challenging, requiring a large troop deployment. Even if the Taliban agreed to allow US access through negotiations, American forces would still face threats from groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, as well as from Iranian missile strikes. Recently, Iran had struck a US airbase in Qatar in retaliation for American attacks.
