US President Eyes Redeployment At Afghanistan's Bagram ?

US President Donald Trump on Thursday again publicly stated that he is considering a return to the strategic Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. It has been four years since the American-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) withdrew from the airbase, which is about 60 km north of Kabul.

He had earlier suggested the idea, which must have resulted from a deep probe, long discussions, and a detailed briefing by his team of advisors.

Incidentally, the ‘Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan’ was signed with the Taliban in Doha on February 29, 2020, during the first term of President Trump. The Taliban returned to power in Kabul after US-led forces hastily withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021.

Hours after Trump shared his thoughts, Zakir Jalaly, a Director at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kabul, replied on X, “Afghanistan and America need to interact with each other and can have economic and political relations based on mutual respect and shared interests, without the US having a military presence in any part of Afghanistan.”

Referring to the agreement, he added, “Military presence has never been accepted by Afghans throughout history, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement; however, the doors are open for further interactions.”

For the US, Bagram can be an ideal intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance hub to monitor South, Central, and West Asia. It would enable regional counter terrorism operations, maintain an airlift and refueling node for rapid regional response, and provide a forward platform to monitor activities in the area.