In brief
In a bold dismissal of former President Trump’s comments about reclaiming Bagram airbase, Taliban official Zakir Jalal states that any military presence from the US is categorically rejected. The Taliban and the US enjoyed talks regarding Afghanistan's future despite Trump's insistence on strategic importance concerning China. The conversation escalates the ongoing tension surrounding Afghanistan's territorial integrity and foreign involvement.
A Taliban official has rejected the idea that the US could retake a key airbase in Afghanistan after President Donald Trump told reporters he wanted it back.
Zakir Jalal, who works in the Taliban's foreign ministry, said the idea of the US maintaining any military presence in Afghanistan was 'completely' rejected during talks between the two sides before the Taliban returned to power.
It came after the US president hinted retaking Bagram airbase - the epicentre of NATO forces in Afghanistan for two decades - might be possible 'because they need things from us'.
The base was handed to the Afghan military shortly before the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.
Trump said at a press conference in the UK on Thursday the US 'gave it to them for nothing'.
The complete withdrawal of US troops was part of a deal signed during Trump's first administration in 2020 and finished under Joe Biden's in 2021.
But Trump said in March he had planned to keep Bagram airbase 'not because of Afghanistan but because of China'.
Trump reiterated the importance of its location on Thursday, saying one reason to take Bagram back was because 'it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons'.
It is unclear exactly what he is referring to: a BBC Verify investigation in July noted a nuclear testing site about 2,000km (1,243 miles) away, in north-western China.
Trump has also repeatedly said that China has since established a presence at the base, which is located north of the capital, Kabul. The Taliban have denied the claim.
However, a BBC investigation - which examined 30 satellite images from late 2020 to 2025 - found very little activity at the base since the Taliban returned, and no evidence to support China's presence at the base.
On Friday, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said 'China respects Afghanistan's territorial integrity and sovereignty', adding that 'the future of Afghanistan should be in the hands of Afghan people'.
The Taliban's Zakir Jalal, meanwhile, wrote on social media platform X: 'Throughout history, Afghans have not accepted a military presence, and this possibility was completely rejected during the Doha talks and agreement, but the doors are open to other engagement.'
The US and the Taliban have been involved in talks recently, although a meeting on Saturday with the Taliban's foreign minister focused on Americans held in Afghanistan, news agency Reuters reported.
