On Sept. 28, the Taliban denied U.S. President Donald Trump’s request to reclaim the Afghan Bagram Airbase for the U.S. military. Previously, Trump had assumed that the Taliban would be open toward allowing the U.S. military back into Afghanistan; however, the chief Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, disproved Trump’s assertions. Currently, the Taliban has continued holding possession of the airbase since the U.S. military withdrew its forces from Afghanistan in August 2024.

The Bagram Air Base was originally built by the Soviet Army during the 1950s, and was formerly the largest U.S. military base in Afghanistan. The base contained the 455th Air Expeditionary Wing of the U.S. Air Force, and also certain units of coalition forces. On Aug. 15, 2021, Taliban rebel forces infiltrated and — upon the NATO-affiliated Afghanistan National Army’s surrender — overtook the base.

The base has an advantageous location near China, Russia, Iran, and certain terrorist groups within the Middle East. However, its position comes with intense security risks for the troops and personnel stationed there.

Furthermore, under the 2020 Doha Agreement, the United States cannot overtake the base using force. The document pledged that the U.S. could no longer “threaten force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Afghanistan, nor interfere in its internal affairs.” Still, Trump plans on reclaiming the base and has even warned the Taliban that there would be potential consequences for refusing the U.S. military further.