Trump says US 'talking' to Afghanistan about Bagram Air Base

WASHINGTON

US President Donald Trump said Friday that discussions about reestablishing a small US military presence at Afghanistan’s Bagram air base are underway with Afghanistan.

"We’ll see what happens with Bagram. We’re talking to Afghanistan. It should have never been given up," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.

The Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous US official, said earlier that the Trump administration is holding preliminary discussions with the Taliban, and the talks are led by special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler. They cover possible prisoner exchanges, economic arrangements and a security component.

"There was no reason to give it up ... We were going to keep Bagram, the air base," said Trump.

Bagram, located north of Kabul, was the largest US installation during the 20-year war in Afghanistan before America’s full withdrawal in 2021.

Trump called the withdrawal from Afghanistan "the most embarrassing day in the history of our country."

"We gave it up for nothing. There was no reason to give it up. We weren’t going to leave Bagram," he said.

Trump said Thursday that his administration is trying to secure the return of the air base from the Taliban, though specifics on the hitherto secretive negotiations remained scarce.

He said part of his motivation for attempting to reacquire the facility is due to its proximity to a nearby site where China produces nuclear weapons, lamenting that US control over Bagram was not maintained during the American withdrawal under former President Joe Biden.