Fresh perspectives on Kabul-Washington ties

KABUL (Pajhwok): US President Donald Trump’s surprise announcement of seeking to reclaim Bagram Air Base is ‘a potential component of a broader diplomatic effort’ to normalize relations with Kabul, reports the Wall-Street Journal.

Former US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad also said both countries would benefit from strengthening ties.

“We’re trying to get it back (Bagram Airbase) that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back. Because they need things from us. We want that base back,” Trump said at a joint press conference with the British Prime Minister.

In response, Zakir Jalali, a senior official at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), wrote on his X handle: “Afghans have never accepted military presence throughout history and this possibility was completely ruled out during the Doha negotiations and agreement.

He added that Afghanistan and the United States should engage with each other and can maintain economic and political relations based on mutual respect and shared interests — without any US military presence in any part of Afghanistan.

According to Wall-Street Journal, citing individuals familiar with the talks, Trump administration officials are in discussions with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) about re-establishing a small US military presence at Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base as a launch point for counterterrorism operations.

It said: “President Trump’s surprise announcement Thursday that he is seeking to reclaim Bagram Air Base is a potential component of a broader diplomatic effort to normalize relations with Kabul”.

The newspaper quoted a US official as saying that the talks—which are led by special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler—include a potential prisoner exchange, a possible economic deal and a security component.

Meanwhile, former US envoy for Afghan peace Zalmay Khalilza  wrote on his X account that Afghanistan and the United States both would benefit from strengthened relations.

He noted: “For the US, an obvious and important area is counterterrorism. Afghans have their own reasons for seeking much better relations, including the threats and challenges they face from their neighborhood.”

He emphasised that the immediate obstacle was the prisoner issue, stressing the importance of resolving it as soon as possible.

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