The United States is trying to get Bagram air base in Afghanistan back, President Donald Trump said on Thursday during a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Trump is on an official state visit to the UK — his second state trip to Britain — where he signed a technology agreement with Starmer earlier today.
“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said, referring to Bagram, citing what he called its strategic location near China. “We want that base back.”
Bagram Air Base served as the linchpin for US operations in the rugged country, where the long war against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies was fought with air strikes and resupply missions from the airfield.
The historic Soviet-built airstrip was the main base for American forces in Afghanistan following the September 11, 2001, attacks, up until their 2021 withdrawal, which led to a takeover by the Afghan Taliban.
In July 2021, all US and Nato troops left Afghanistan’s biggest air base, signalling the complete withdrawal of foreign forces from the country after two decades of war.
A week after the US withdrawal, Bagram buzzed again with activity as Afghan forces settled into the vast premises, complete with its runways, barracks, control towers and hospital.
