KABUL: Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has categorically dismissed the possibility of foreign military presence in the country.
While addressing to an event in Kabul, FM Mutaqi said that Kabul’s stance is clear that no foreign troops will be allowed on Afghan soil, adding that they are to fight for another 20 years if required.
Taliban led Afghan government has made a stern reaction against recent threats allegedly made by US President Donald Trump for the possible reoccupation of the Bagram Air Base.
Foreign Minister Muttaqi clarified that even if the United States were to formally accept the Taliban administration and assure assistance towards the reconstruction of Afghanistan, no compromise on the independence of the nation would be made.
“We will not give up even an inch of our land, not Bagram, not anywhere else,” Muttaqi affirmed.
The warning is made amid increased tensions in response to speculation about renewed American interest in strategic points in the area. Afghan officials have cautioned that any bid to reopen a military presence would be met with stiff opposition.
Earlier, the U.S. President Donald Trump has issued a warning to Afghanistan for the return of Bagram Air Base, stating it should be returned to “those who built it”.
While issuing a statement on a social media update platform Truth Social, President Trump highlighted the strategic significance of Bagram and issued a warning that unless it is returned, “things could get very bad.”
According to international media reports, the Bagram Air Base, which was the hub of U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, was taken over by the Taliban after the U.S. withdrawal in 2021.
Earlier this month, Trump hinted that there were talks with Afghan authorities concerning Bagram. But the Taliban and segments of the Kabul administration have flatly ruled out the possibility, both saying that there would never be a foreign military presence in the nation.
“Kabul is ready to negotiate,” said one official in the Afghan government, “but in no way are we going to accept the redeployment of U.S. military forces to Afghanistan.”
Experts caution that recapture of Bagram would consume enormous military and economic resources and could be engaged by the U.S. in still another protracted regional commitment.
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Trump has repeatedly criticized the 2021 withdrawal as one of the largest military blunders in U.S. history and had argued that Bagram should never have been abandoned.
