U.S. President Donald Trump said he is "in talks with Afghanistan" about taking back Bagram Air Base from the Taliban.
On the 19th (local time), according to Reuters and other foreign media, Trump answered this way when asked by reporters in the Oval Office that day.
Regarding Bagram Air Base, Trump said, "In terms of maximum allowable weight, length, and so on, it is the most powerful runway in history, and (the United States) gave it up for nothing," adding, "(Former President Joe Biden) should never have given it up."
Earlier, Trump made it official the previous day that he is working to have Bagram Air Base returned. In this regard, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) also reported that the Trump administration is in talks with the Taliban on a plan to take back Bagram by stationing a small U.S. military unit.
According to the WSJ report, the United States and the Taliban are discussing deploying military aircraft or drones to Bagram under the pretext of "counterterrorism operations." The talks are still in the early stages, and it does not appear that the U.S. military plans to transfer troops to Bagram immediately, the WSJ said.
The WSJ also added that the United States and the Taliban could discuss prisoner exchange, economic cooperation, and security elements. The WSJ analyzed that Trump's renewed expression of intent to reclaim Bagram Air Base is also aimed at normalizing relations with the Taliban.
Bagram Air Base was located north of Kabul, the Afghan capital. Since the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, it served as a key U.S. base for 20 years, but after the U.S. military withdrew in 2021, it was taken over by the Taliban.
Bagram is also about 800 kilometers from the Chinese border, leading to assessments that it is strategically important. Trump has said one reason he wants Bagram is that it is "an hour away from where China builds nuclear weapons."
However, the Taliban is believed to have little intention of handing over Bagram at the United States' request. A Taliban Spokesperson flatly rejected the proposal to return Bagram in the British daily The Times, calling Trump's desire to get the base back "an emotional reaction."