Featured Image Credit: Getty Images/Kevin Dietsch
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Politics, Social Media, US News, Military
Dan Seddon
Topics: Donald Trump, Joe Biden, Politics, Social Media, US News, Military
The president has demanded that Afghanistan reinstate American occupation of the Bagram Airbase on social media.
Located near the borders of Pakistan and China, the base was in possession of the Americans for close to two decades until Donald Trump's White House predecessor Joe Biden ceded control in 2021.
Bagram was the major center for operations during America's war on terrorism after the September 11 attacks - initiated by al-Qaeda and killing 3,000 people in New York City.
Such was the base's Americanisation, at one point in time it kept a Burger King, Pizza Hut, a prison complex, and even shops (per Reuters).
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Taking to his Truth Social channel yesterday (September 20), Trump sent a stern threat to the Afghans as he looks to re-secure the territory.
"If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!! President DJT," warned the 79-year-old.
Trump did not choose to clarify what he meant exactly, but judging by his latest move on Venezuelan narcoterrorists he's down for anything these days.
The topic of Bagram Airbase cropped up during the political leader's state visit to the UK this week, too, when he was stood beside prime minister Keir Starmer.
Trump first floated the idea of the US military retaking control of the key air base while standing beside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday.
"We're trying to get it back," he revealed, seemingly surprising his counterpart. "We're trying to get it back because they need things from us.
"We want that base back, but one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it's an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons."
Earlier this year, Trump was pushing to 'fire every single' general involved in America's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan.
At that particular time, the Taliban had overrun the Afghan army and moved into Kabul.
Explaining his decision, Biden addressed the press with: "When I came into office, I inherited a deal that President Trump negotiated with the Taliban. Under his agreement, US forces would be out of Afghanistan by May 1, 2021 — just a little over three months after I took office.
"US forces had already drawn down during the Trump administration from roughly 15,500 American forces to 2,500 troops in country, and the Taliban was at its strongest militarily since 2001.
"The choice I had to make, as your president, was either to follow through on that agreement or be prepared to go back to fighting the Taliban in the middle of the spring fighting season.
"There would have been no ceasefire after May 1. There was no agreement protecting our forces after May 1. There was no status quo of stability without American casualties after May 1," he continued.
"There was only the cold reality of either following through on the agreement to withdraw our forces or escalating the conflict and sending thousands more American troops back into combat in Afghanistan, lurching into the third decade of conflict."