Taliban military commander: Not afraid of any bully
The Taliban's top military commander rejected US President Trump's request that Afghanistan return the Bagram Air Base to US control and warned that any hostile action would trigger the "strongest" response.
General Fazlullah, Chief of Staff of the Taliban's armed forces, said at an event on Kabul National Television on Sunday: "Afghanistan is completely independent, governed by its people, and does not depend on any foreign power. We are not afraid of any bully or aggressor."
On Saturday, Trump threatened on his social media platform "Truth Social": "If Afghanistan does not return the Bagram Air Base to the US that built it, bad things will happen!!!"
Previously, on Thursday, Trump stated during a joint press conference with UK Prime Minister Starmer that the US was seeking to regain control of the base located in northeastern Afghanistan.
Trump said on that day about the Bagram Air Base: "(It is) one of the largest air bases in the world. We gave it to them (the Taliban) for free."
Incidentally, we are trying to get it back," he continued.
Trump added: "We are trying to get it back because they (the Taliban) need our things. We want to get back that base. But one of the reasons we want to get back this base is, as you know, it is only an hour away from China's nuclear weapons manufacturing site."
For a long time, Trump has criticized his predecessor Biden for the chaotic situation during the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, claiming that it led to American weapons and other military assets falling into the hands of the Taliban, including the Bagram Air Base.
The base was once the largest US military base in Afghanistan. Since the Taliban regained power and withdrew under the negotiation agreement, the Bagram Air Base has been under the Taliban's control.
The Taliban now uses the base to display captured military equipment, including vehicles provided by the US and weapons left behind after the withdrawal. The Bagram Air Base has become a symbol of the Taliban's victory and is regularly used in official visits and parades.
Source: rfi
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1843886943356992/
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