Kabul responds to Trump's threat: "It is absolutely impossible to hand over Bagram base"

Afghanistan's Chief of Army Staff, Fazil Din Fitrat, denied any negotiations regarding the transfer of the Bagram Air Base, emphasizing that transferring any part of the country's territory is "absolutely impossible." This is a response to the remarks by U.S. President Donald Trump expressing his desire for the base.

Fitrat stated at a meeting in Kabul that he wanted to reassure the Afghan people: any idea of understanding or ceding even an inch of the country's land is completely impossible, "it will never happen."

According to report by Al Jazeera journalist Fadl Kacher Kazee, Fitrat emphasized that they are not afraid of "any arrogant or authoritarian person," and pointed out that Afghans have already proven this through their "jihad" against the U.S. and its allies over the past 20 years.

The Afghan government called on the United States to fulfill its commitments under the Doha Agreement, and not to use force or threaten Afghanistan's independence.

In a statement, the government confirmed that it had clearly conveyed to the U.S. in bilateral talks that Afghanistan's independence and territorial integrity are of utmost importance.

The statement also noted that Afghanistan's foreign policy is balanced and committed to building positive relations with all countries based on mutual interests.

Trump's Threats

The above statements from the Afghan side stem from a threat issued by U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday - if Afghanistan does not hand over the base, "bad things will happen."

Trump said, "We are currently talking to Afghanistan. We want to get back this base as soon as possible, right away. If they (the Taliban) don't do it, you will see what I will do."

Trump also revealed last Thursday that the U.S. is trying to regain control of the Bagram base, which was used by the U.S. military after the September 11 attacks in 2001.

He said during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Buckinghamshire, northwest London, that the Bagram base is strategically significant because it is close to China.

Trump said one of the reasons for seeking to reclaim the base is that it is only an hour's flight from where China produces missiles and nuclear weapons - a claim he repeated in March this year.

He criticized the Joe Biden administration's withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, and said the U.S. would have withdrawn from Afghanistan but would have kept the Bagram base.

He added, "We gave the base to them for free, and now we are trying to get it back because they need something from us." He implied that Washington has leverage over the Taliban-led Afghan government.

On the other hand, former U.S. special envoy for Afghanistan peace, Zalmai Khalilzad, recently said that if an agreement on prisoners between Washington and the Taliban is successful, it may open the door for other agreements, including the possibility of using the Bagram base in "joint counter-terrorism operations."

It is worth noting that the Bagram Air Base was one of the largest military bases used by the U.S. during its 20-year presence in Afghanistan, but fell into the hands of the Taliban after the U.S. military withdrawal in August 2021. Trump previously claimed that the base is now "under Chinese control."

Sources: Al Jazeera

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843926827342922/

Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.