Islomkhon Gafarov, Shokhrux Saidov & Alisher Akhmedov
Following Donald Trump’s return to office, US foreign policy toward Afghanistan has undergone noticeable changes. Unlike the Biden era, which was characterized by inactive political engagement and an indifference to the Afghan issue, the new administration has taken steps to renew dialogue with Kabul.
As early as March 2025, former US Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad and the US Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler arrived in Afghanistan. In September of the same year, two visits followed: in mid-September, Khalilzad and Boehler jointly traveled to Kabul, while at the end of the month Boehler returned independently. These visits indicate the Trump administration’s growing interest in Afghanistan and its attempts to reconfigure the US strategic presence in the region. Moreover, discussions have taken place between the Taliban government and US officials regarding a possible reopening of diplomatic missions; specifically, the Afghan embassy in Washington D.C. and the US embassy in Kabul.
Nevertheless, Donald Trump’s statements reveal the duality of his approach. At the beginning of the year, he demanded that Afghan authorities return US weapons left behind after the troop withdrawal. Later, in September, he publicly declared his intention to restore US control over the Bagram Air Base, emphasizing its strategic significance and declaring: “one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
Trump’s statement underscores the geopolitical significance of Afghan territory. Historically, the Soviet-era Bagram Air Base served as the largest US military installation in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2021, and is now under the control of the Taliban government. In response to Trump’s remarks, Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi declared: “Not even one meter of land will be given to U.S.” The exchange set off a new cycle of US-Afghan tensions while demonstrating once again the centrality of the Bagram in regional geopolitics.
The Strategic Importance of the Bagram Air Base
No comments:
Post a Comment