In a dramatic digital blast, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social on Saturday to demand the return of Bagram Airbase, warning that “BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!” if Afghanistan doesn’t “give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America.”
At the White House later that day, Trump told reporters, “We want it back, and we want it back soon, right away,” underscoring a looming standoff over the strategic airfield.
Afghan leaders immediately rejected the ultimatum. Mullah Tajmir Jawad, first deputy of the General Directorate of Intelligence, vowed to maintain the status quo. Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid was even more forceful: “Our answer is, if you don’t leave and want bases, we are ready to fight you for another 20 years.”
Zakir Jalaly, political director of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed any notion of a U.S. return. He stressed that Afghans have “never accepted foreign troops on their territory” and insisted that future talks must exclude military reoccupation.
This clash over Bagram highlights bigger questions about sovereignty and the limits of power in modern geopolitics. As digital platforms amplify high-stakes rhetoric, the world watches whether diplomacy or defiance will define the next chapter of U.S.-Afghan relations.
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Trump threatens Afghanistan over Bagram; Afghans rebuke U.S.
cgtn.com
