Trump Seeking to Reclaim Bagram; US Begins Talks with Taliban

DID Press: US President Donald Trump announced that Washington is in talks with Taliban’s caretaker government over possible limited return of American forces to Bagram Air Base. “We should never have given up that base,” Trump told reporters at the White House. His remarks came a day after a joint press conference with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Bagram Air Base, seized by U.S. forces following September 11, 2001 attacks, was handed over to the Taliban caretaker government after the full American withdrawal in 2021. Taliban officials have categorically opposed any redeployment of U.S. troops. Zaker Jalal, a senior official at the Taliban Foreign Ministry, responded to Trump’s comments, saying: “Engagement with the United States may be possible, but without their military presence in Afghanistan.”

According to Wall Street Journal, Washington is exploring, through limited negotiations with the Taliban, the possibility of deploying counterterrorism units at Bagram.

Former U.S. diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad has also suggested that improved relations between Washington and the Taliban can benefit both sides, particularly in counterterrorism efforts and managing regional pressures, though the issue of American hostages remains an obstacle.

Trump’s plan to redeploy U.S. forces to Afghanistan has drawn broad regional reactions. The Taliban leadership insists on respect for national sovereignty and rejects any U.S. return. China has labeled the move destabilizing and a threat to regional security. Iran and Pakistan have voiced opposition, while Moscow has characterized the proposal as evidence of Washington’s failed withdrawal strategy.

These developments highlight how redefining U.S.–Taliban relations and the prospect of a limited U.S. military presence in Afghanistan have once again become central to regional political and security debates, complicating the outlook for stability.

Nonetheless, experts note that, given the precedent of U.S.–Taliban negotiations in Doha—which led to the American withdrawal and Taliban’s return to power—the prospect of current talks producing an agreement on Bagram should not be dismissed as entirely implausible.