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Summary of this article
Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, has warned that the US may attempt to seize control of Bagram airbase as Washington ramps up its military presence in West Asia.
Russia has flatly rejected any return of US or NATO military infrastructure to Afghanistan or neighbouring countries
The demand for Bagram is not new; the Trump administration has repeatedly pushed for its return since the chaotic US withdrawal in August 2021, citing the base’s strategic value.
Russia has voiced serious concern over the possibility of the United States regaining control of Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase, describing any such move as “categorically unacceptable.”
Speaking in an interview with Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti, Zamir Kabulov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy on Afghanistan and a senior Foreign Ministry adviser, said Moscow is apprehensive that Washington could seek access to the strategically vital facility amid its escalating military standoff with Iran.
“The Trump administration constantly voices demands for the return of the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, which the US lost after their inglorious retreat from Afghanistan in August 2021,” Kabulov stated. He added that Russia does not accept the deployment of US or NATO military facilities and infrastructure in Afghanistan or neighbouring states. “We hope the authorities of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan will continue to adhere to a similar approach,” he said.
Bagram airbase, located north of Kabul, was originally constructed by the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It later served as a major hub for Soviet forces during the 1979–1989 intervention and was extensively used by US and NATO troops during their two-decade campaign against the Taliban. The base was abandoned during the chaotic American withdrawal in 2021.
