Why Does Trump Want Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base Returned To US Control?

President Trump said that he wants Bagram air base in Afghanistan returned to US control, in a move that could reignite American involvement in the country and the strategic asset that was lost during the chaotic Western withdrawal four years ago. Speaking alongside UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on September 18, Trump suggested that his administration was negotiating with the Taliban for US forces to once again occupy the base outside of Kabul, which was abandoned in 2021 shortly before the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan.   He also said that the base’s strategic location close to nuclear sites in…