KABUL, the idea of the United States reclaiming Bagram Air Base is dead on arrival, at least according to the Taliban. Fasihuddin Fitrat, who serves as the chief of staff at Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense, told local reporters that “a deal over even an inch of Afghanistan’s soil is not possible. We do not need it.” Pretty blunt, but also in line with what the group has been saying since taking power in 2021.
This comes after Donald Trump, during his state visit to the UK, said Washington is “trying to get it back.” He was talking about Bagram, the massive airfield just north of Kabul that served as the nerve center for US and NATO operations for nearly two decades. Trump’s warning was equally direct: if the Taliban don’t hand it over, “bad things are going to happen.”
Taliban officials clearly are not budging. Spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid reminded the US of the Doha Agreement, where Washington promised not to interfere in Afghanistan’s affairs after its withdrawal. He is framing the pressure over Bagram as a violation of that deal, and as an insult to Afghanistan’s sovereignty.
The symbolism of Bagram cannot be overstated. It’s not just an airbase. For Afghans, it’s tied to the years of foreign presence and war. Giving it back to the Americans now would make the Taliban look weak, both to their supporters and to rival factions at home. It would also risk stirring up more resentment among ordinary Afghans, who see land concessions as a red line.
From the US perspective, Trump is casting the issue as both practical and strategic. The base gives access to Central Asia and sits uncomfortably close to China’s western frontier. He has been arguing that since the US built it up, Washington has a right to reclaim it. That is obviously not how Kabul sees it.
For now, the two sides are talking past each other. The Taliban’s “not for sale” stance seems absolute, while Trump keeps ramping up the rhetoric. Whether this ends as a war of words or turns into something more serious remains to be seen, but as of late September 2025, the Taliban message is crystal clear: Bagram is not on the negotiating table.
