The Bagram Airfield holds annual celebrations to commemorate the Taliban's return to Afghanistan (EurAsia Press)

US President Donald Trump reiterated his desire to regain control of the Bagram Airfield, which the US military vacated over four years ago, with the chaotic scenes still vivid in people's memories.

Trump occasionally expresses this strong desire, most recently on Saturday, demanding the return of the Bagram base and explicitly threatening that "bad things" will happen if his wish to have the base returned to "the America that created it" is not fulfilled, after previously expressing regret for the US "abandoning" the base.

Although he started withdrawing troops from Afghanistan during his first term, Trump has not stopped criticizing the Biden administration's withdrawal in 2021, claiming that the US would leave Afghanistan but would retain the Bagram Airfield.

Trump believes that the US "freely" provided the Bagram Airfield to the Taliban movement ruling Afghanistan. From a transactional perspective, the US president said, "We are trying to get it back because they need our stuff." This implies Washington's influence over the Afghan government.

Trump also claimed that "the Bagram base now falls into other hands," calling it a "major strategic mistake" by Biden.

Since the withdrawal, US officials have warned about the "risk of the Bagram base falling into enemy hands." General McKenzie, former commander of the US Central Command, admitted in a report submitted to Congress that "leaving the Bagram base without an agreement was our biggest mistake, and the base will remain a strategic asset for us for decades."

Trump's insistence on the necessity of regaining the Bagram Airfield carries some hidden implications, similar to his previous unrealistic talk about annexing or owning the sovereignty of the Panama Canal or Greenland (geographically close to the US). However, even Afghanistan may exceed its borders in terms of influence.

The Washington Post noted in today's editorial that the Bagram Airfield has significant strategic importance as it is near the border of competitors.

As the editorial pointed out, a small number of US troops returning to Bagram would be far from the previous strong military presence. However, this would allow the US to establish a foothold in a strategically important region in ongoing competition with adversaries.

The editorial stated that the US military presence at Bagram "will also enable the US to conduct counter-terrorism operations against the Islamic State Khorasan Province in volatile regions, which is fighting the Taliban and expanding its influence in Europe."

During the US occupation, Bagram Airfield was the largest NATO logistics center in the region (Reuters)

Symbolic Legacy

Bagram Airfield is a legacy of the US military presence in Afghanistan for 20 years, now under the control of the Taliban-led Afghan government, which proudly claims full control over the base and sees it as a winning card in the regional security landscape.

After the fall of Kabul on August 15, 2021, the Taliban declared that they had taken control of the Bagram Airfield without any conflict. At that time, the movement's spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid claimed, "Bagram is now a symbol of Afghanistan's independence, and we will not hand it over to any force."

During the US occupation, the base was the largest NATO logistics center in the region, with billions of dollars invested by the US over two decades.

Its area covers approximately 5,000 hectares, located in the heart of Central Asia, directly accessible to the borders of China, Iran, and Russia, making the US eye it even after the withdrawal.

Bagram Airfield has a 3,600-meter runway that meets crash standards, accommodating 130 military aircraft takeoffs and landings daily. During the NATO presence, the base was not only the headquarters for combat operations but also the location of US special forces, the CIA, and highly sophisticated intelligence and satellite equipment. Satellite images from 2019 showed that the base had over 110 combat buildings and 20 fully equipped weapon depots.

A July 2021 report by The New York Times indicated that Bagram Airfield played a key role in monitoring Iranian military movements and Russian-backed armed groups, as well as monitoring security activities in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.

The Americans also used the base to carry out secret plans targeting Al-Qaeda and ISIS (Islamic State). The Washington Post reported that in 2020, Bagram Airfield conducted over 350 intelligence missions.

Afghanistan Is Rich in Mineral Resources

Some experts believe that the Taliban-led Afghan government cannot fully utilize the capabilities of the Bagram Airfield, creating a vacuum that could pave the way for regional powers to gain influence.

These experts suggest that some major powers might use the base for strategic purposes, especially considering Afghanistan's rich lithium and rare mineral resources, and the Bagram Airfield could play a key logistical role in mining these resources.

Concerns and Calculations

Concerns about the US returning to Afghanistan, particularly through the Bagram Airfield, are increasing. Russia and Iran have repeatedly warned about the US strengthening its intelligence activities along its eastern border. In 2018, Tehran condemned the US electronic surveillance activities at the Bagram Airfield in a formal memorandum submitted to the United Nations.

Local opinions on the Bagram Airfield are mixed. Some see it as a symbol of occupation, while others view it as a source of labor and economic prosperity for Afghanistan. Official statistics from the previous Afghan government showed that the Bagram Airfield directly employed more than 2,700 people in 2017 alone.

The Taliban-led Afghan government hopes the US will break its isolation and gain recognition, as the previous government still holds Afghanistan's seat at the United Nations.

Kabul also hopes to recover the $7 billion in frozen assets to boost the country's struggling economy.

However, Afghan government officials do not seem enthusiastic about the return of US troops to the Bagram Airfield. "Afghans have never accepted foreign military forces stationed on their territory in history," said Zaki Jalali, a senior official at the Afghan Foreign Ministry. But there is still room for negotiation.

Jalali also clearly stated, "Afghanistan and the US need to develop economic and political relations based on mutual respect and common interests, and the US should not maintain any military presence anywhere in Afghanistan."

Evidently, the 20-year occupation and experience of fighting against Americans, combined with four years of negotiations, have enabled the Taliban to understand the American mindset and negotiation strategies. Pragmatism unites both sides, and this will determine the fate of Trump's desire for the Bagram Airfield. Trump and many neighboring countries are fond of the Bagram Airfield.

Sources: Al Jazeera

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7553827228526592562/

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