Washington, Sept 20 (V7N) – U.S. President Donald Trump has said that the United States is actively trying to regain control of Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan, aiming to reestablish a strategic foothold in the region as a counterbalance to China.
 
Bagram, once the largest U.S. military installation in Afghanistan, was vacated in July 2021 during the final withdrawal of American troops. The exit, carried out under Former President Joe Biden, led to the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country and marked the official end of the 20-year U.S. war.
 
Speaking in England on Sept. 18 during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump emphasized the strategic importance of the base. “We’re trying to get it back, because they need things from us. We want that base back. One of the reasons we want it is because it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” Trump said.
 
The Trump administration had brokered a peace deal with the Taliban in early 2020, setting the stage for the U.S. troop withdrawal. However, Trump argued that his plan would have maintained American strength and leverage. “We were going to leave Afghanistan, but with strength and dignity. We were going to keep Bagram—the big air base, one of the biggest in the world. Instead, we gave it to them for nothing,” he said.
 
Bagram Airbase, located north of Kabul, once housed tens of thousands of U.S. and NATO personnel and served as a central hub for military operations in the region. Its location, Trump noted, places it in close proximity to western China, where U.S. intelligence reports say Beijing continues to expand its nuclear arsenal.
 
According to a 2024 Pentagon report to Congress, China maintains around 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, with projections that the number of operational nuclear warheads will rise to 1,000 by 2030.
 
The Department of Defense, when asked about Trump’s remarks and the possibility of regaining control of Bagram, referred inquiries to the White House.
 
News Source: USA Today
 
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