World

Trump threatens Afghanistan over refusal to hand back Bagram air base

Afghan foreign ministry’s Zakir Jalal urges engagement without US military presence as Trump mounts pressure

By Reuters

September 21, 2025

[4/5] An Afghan National Army soldier stands guard at the gate of Bagram U.S. air base, on the day the last of American troops vacated it, Parwan province, Afghanistan, July 2, 2021. —Reuters

US President Trump on Saturday threatened Afghanistan if it does not give back control of the Bagram air base to the United States.

"If Afghanistan doesn’t give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN," Trump said in a Truth Social post.

Trump said on Thursday that the United States had sought to regain control of the base used by American forces following the attacks of September 11, 2001. He told reporters on Friday that he was speaking with Afghanistan about it.

The withdrawal of American forces in 2021 led to a takeover of the base by the Taliban movement.

Afghan officials have expressed opposition to a revived US presence.

"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, an Afghan foreign ministry official, said in a post on X on Thursday.