Trump Reveals U.S. Effort to Reclaim Bagram Air Base

President Trump announced Thursday that the United States is actively trying to regain control of Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, a base abandoned during the 2021 withdrawal. Speaking alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Trump criticized President Biden’s pullout, which he called “the most embarrassing moment in U.S. history.”

“We’re trying to get it back,” Trump said, emphasizing Bagram’s strategic value as it sits about an hour from China’s nuclear facilities in Xinjiang. While he did not specify what leverage the U.S. has in negotiations, the Taliban has controlled the base since American and NATO forces left in July 2021.

The base’s fall led to a rapid Taliban takeover, the release of prisoners, and ultimately the deadly Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members. Trump’s remarks signal an attempt to reverse what he argues was a catastrophic error and to reestablish U.S. presence in a region critical to countering China’s influence townhall.com.