Senior Afghan official slams Trump's remarks on Bagram airbase

A senior Afghan official has slammed recent remarks of U.S. President Donald Trump on recapturing Bagram airbase in postwar Afghanistan, saying Afghans never accept foreign military presence in their country, reported the state-run Radio and Television of Afghanistan (RTA) on Friday.

"Afghans have never accepted foreign military presence in their land throughout history. Afghanistan and America need engagement on economic and political relations based on bilateral respect and common interests," the state-owned media outlet cited Jalali, a senior diplomat with the foreign ministry, as saying.

Trump, who has been criticizing his predecessor Joe Biden over giving up Bagram airbase during the U.S. withdrawal in August 2021, told reporters in London on Thursday that "We want to retake it."

The Bagram airbase, 50 km north of Kabul, had served as the main military base of U.S. troops in Afghanistan during the 20-year military presence of U.S.-led military coalition forces, which ended in August 2021 and paved the way for the collapse of the western-backed regime and takeover of power by the current Afghan government.