President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States (US) is seeking to take back Bagram air base, located in Afghanistan.
The Soviet-era airstrip served as the primary base for US forces in Afghanistan from shortly after the September 11, 2001, attacks at the World Trade Centre until their withdrawal in August 2021.
The US military death toll in the Afghan war since 2001 was about 2,500. Soon after the US pullout, Taliban fighters regained control of Kabul in August 2021.
During a joint news conference with British Prime Minister (PM) Keir Starmer at Chequers in London, President Trump said, “One of the biggest airbases in the world. We gave it to them for nothing. We’re trying to get it back, by the way.”
“We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us. We want that base back. But one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons,” he added.
Criticising his predecessor, Democrat President Joe Biden, over the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan during his era, President Trump claimed that it left American weapons and other military assets, including bases, in the hands of the Taliban.
Meanwhile, regarding the Ukraine-Russia conflict, he said that he had thought the Ukraine war would be solved “within days” of his entering the White House.
“The one that I thought would be easiest … because of my relationship with President Putin, but he’s let me down. He’s really let me down … I thought it might be among the easiest of the group,” President Trump lamented.
When pressed to tell whether he is ready to impose additional sanctions on Russia, President Trump claimed that Europe needed to take action first to end oil purchases from Russia.
“If the price of oil comes down, Putin’s going to drop out. He’s going to have no choice,” he said, adding, “I’m willing to do other things, but not when the people that I’m fighting for are buying oil from Russia.”