Trump threatens Afghanistan over Bagram; Afghans rebuke U.S.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened Afghanistan with "bad things" if it doesn't "give Bagram Airbase back."

"If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.

On Saturday, Trump told reporters at the White House that the United States is in talks with Afghanistan regarding regaining control of the air base, saying, "We want it back, and we want it back soon, right away."

Afghan officials have sharply rejected U.S. threats to reclaim Bagram Air Base, emphasizing that any attempt to reestablish a foreign military presence would be met with unyielding resistance.

Mullah Tajmir Jawad, first deputy of the General Directorate of Intelligence, responded to calls for U.S. retaking the strategic airfield by saying the Afghan government would preserve the current system.

Echoing this resolve, Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid told media, "Our answer is, if you don't leave and want bases, we are ready to fight you for another 20 years."

Zakir Jalaly, political director of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed the notion of a U.S. return, stating that Afghans have "never accepted foreign troops on their territory" and that any dialogue with Washington must exclude military reoccupation.