Washington, 21 September (H.S.):

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday warned Afghanistan of “bad things” if it fails to hand back control of the Bagram airbase to Washington, escalating tensions over the site that once served as the hub of American military operations after 9/11.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump declared, “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 had earlier revealed that Washington was pursuing control of the strategic airfield, telling reporters on Friday that discussions with Kabul were “underway.” The base, abandoned by U.S. forces during the 2021 withdrawal, was subsequently seized by the Taliban.

Afghan authorities, however, dismissed any possibility of a revived American military presence. “Afghanistan and the United States need to engage with one another … without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan,” Foreign Ministry official Zakir Jalal stated in a post on X.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar