Why Trump wants Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan
All countries condemned Trump’s plan as a move that would destabilize Central and South Asia and assured support for Afghanistan.
US President Donald Trump wants to regain control of Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base, and this desire has brought together powers such as India, China and Russia. A meeting on Afghanistan was held in Moscow, the capital of Russia. At this meeting, Russia, China, India and Central Asian countries opposed the alleged US presence in Bagram. All countries condemned Trump’s plan as a move that would destabilize Central and South Asia and assured support for Afghanistan despite US pressure. Why does Trump want Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan?
Bagram Air Base is located in Afghanistan’s Parwan Province and spans an area of approximately 5,000 acres. Its large area allows it to accommodate large aircraft such as the C-130 Hercules and C-17 Globemaster. The base also has three large hangars that can host strikes and supply helicopters such as Chinook and Apache. Bagram Air Base’s runway is 11,800 feet long and allows multiple fighter jets to take off. Its large area allows it to accommodate approximately 40,000 soldiers, making Bagram Air Base a fortress. Bagram Air Base’s capacity is one factor, but Bagram’s X-factor is its location.
The US claims it developed Bagram Air Base during the War on Terror in Afghanistan and therefore deserves extradition. Trump and his allies claim that Bagram Air Base was built by NATO forces. Bagram Air Base is only 800 km from some of China’s nuclear power plants; This means Bagram provides reliable surveillance of China’s nuclear power plants. Bagram Air Base is also close to Central Asian countries such as Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, which Trump wants to include in the Abraham Accords. Moreover, the fact that Bagram is only 650 km away from the Iranian border means that Trump can keep the pressure on his traditional rival Iran through Bagram.
This means that Trump’s Bagram plan can meet every strategic need of the United States, but the real question is whether the Taliban will allow this plan to be implemented. By joining the mobilization in Moscow, the Taliban signaled that it does not accept the American presence in Bagram.
