By Wang Shida
US President Donald Trump, at the conclusion of his visit to the UK, stated on September 18 that the Biden administration had handed the Bagram Airfield to the Taliban, and now the US intends to take it back. This remark triggered extensive coverage in the US and international media, fueling ongoing debate over the potential of a US reengagement in Afghanistan.
The Bagram Airfield is a large facility with two runways, each 3,000 metres long, capable of accommodating transport aircraft, fighter jets, attack helicopters, and other military equipment. Located about 44 kilometres north of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, it served as the operational hub for US forces during their two-decade presence in Afghanistan. An assessment report issued by the US Department of State on 2023 concluded that the US withdrawal from Bagram Airfield largely contributed to the overall chaos and disorder of the troop pullout.
This is not the first time Donald Trump has raised the issue of regaining control of Bagram Airfield. As early as March this year, he publicly called the abandonment of Bagram Airfield a "stupid" move. If he had led the withdrawal, the US would have retained the base. Recently, he claimed again that the US needs Bagram Airfield not because of Afghanistan, but because of China, claiming that "it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons." In addition, anonymous US government officials have stated that Donald Trump has been urging his national security aides over the past several months to find feasible ways to regain control of the base from the Afghan government.
However, although Trump has shown a strong interest in Bagram Airfield, reclaiming control of it would not be easy. The Taliban forces, which have fought a 20-year war against US forces, make the withdrawal of all foreign troops a core demand. Therefore, they could hardly agree to the US military reentering Afghanistan in any way. On September 21, Qari Fasihuddin, the Chief of Staff of the Afghan Armed Forces, stated on Afghanistan's national television in Kabul that Afghanistan is a fully independent country, governed by its people and does not rely on any foreign power. It does not fear any bullies or aggressors. In addition, both the Afghanistan's Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have issued similar statements.
According to anonymous US officials, technically speaking, regaining control of the base would require around 10,000 military personnel and a massive financial investment to repair the damaged facilities. More seriously, maintaining the operation of a single base in landlocked Afghanistan would be a logistical nightmare. Moreover, even if the US were to take over the base, it would need to establish and maintain a massive military perimeter around it to prevent US forces inside from suffering rocket attacks. For this reason, there is currently no feasible plan for the US to regain control of Bagram Airfield.
In fact, since assuming the presidency for a second term, Donald Trump has made numerous statements on the Afghanistan issue, which stand in stark contrast to the policies of his predecessor, President Joe Biden. Trump has repeatedly accused the Biden administration of mishandling the withdrawal, resulting in tens of billions of dollars worth of military equipment falling into Taliban hands. He has claimed he is prepared to reclaim this equipment. In response, the Taliban has made it clear that this military equipment was provided by the US to the former Afghan government, and now constitutes war spoils belonging to them. They warned that if the US insists on taking it back, it must pay substantial war reparations to compensate for the damage inflicted on the Afghan people over the past two decades.
(The author is a research fellow and the executive deputy director of the Institute of South Asian Studies, China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations.)
Editor's Note: Originally published on china.com.cn, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.