Taliban rejects Trump’s bid to retake base in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Taliban government on Sunday rejected President Trump's bid to retake Bagram air base, four years after the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country left the sprawling military facility in the Taliban’s hands.

- ASSOCIATED PRESS

RAHMAT GUL Associated Press PRESIDENT Trump wants to reestablish a U.S. presence at Bagram air base.

Trump on Saturday renewed his call to reestablish a U.S. presence at Bagram, saying that “we're talking now to Afghanistan” about the matter. He did not offer further details about the purported conversations. Asked by a reporter whether he’d consider deploying U.S. troops to take the base, Trump demurred.

“We won't talk about that,” he said. “We want it back, and we want it back right away. If they don’t do it, you're going to find out what I’m going to do.”

On Sunday, chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected Trump's assertions and urged the U.S. to adopt a policy of “realism and rationality.”

Posting on X, Mujahid said that Afghanistan had an economy-oriented foreign policy and sought constructive relations with all states on the basis of mutual and shared interests.