Taliban Rejects Any Deal with US over Bagram Airbase
Mohammad Nabi Omari, Deputy Minister of Interior for the Taliban administration, has announced in a video message that there has been no agreement between the Taliban and the United States regarding the transfer or use of Bagram Airbase, ruling out even the possibility of such negotiations in the future.
Using a defiant tone, Omari warned that the Afghan people would respond to any potential return of US forces to Bagram, declaring: “If someone is to be targeted, let it be me first, then others.”
He also dismissed media reports suggesting the presence of Chinese forces or negotiations with China about the airbase as baseless, rejecting any form of strategic engagement with foreign powers in the area.
Bagram Airbase, located in Parwan province, served as the largest US military command center in Afghanistan during two decades of American military presence. The Taliban took control of the base following the US troop withdrawal in 2021.
Omari’s remarks come after US President Donald Trump warned that “terrible consequences” would follow if the Taliban does not return Bagram to American control—comments that have once again placed the airbase at the center of international attention concerning Afghanistan.
These developments further highlight the lack of legitimacy and transparency in the Taliban administration’s decision-making, as the fate of one of Afghanistan’s most significant military installations unfolds without public oversight or legal accountability.
