Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – Claims circulating on social media that the Taliban government has ceded control of Bagram Air Base to the United States are unfounded, according to both US and Taliban officials. The strategic military site, once the largest US base in Afghanistan, remains under Taliban control.
Speculation erupted following an April 8 post on X (formerly Twitter) bearing the headline, “The Taliban Hands Over Bagram Air Base to the United States.” However, no verifiable evidence supports the claim, and both parties involved have issued strong denials.
“There is no US military presence in Bagram,” a US defence official told AFP on April 9, dismissing the reports as false. The official added that suggestions of a US takeover or the landing of an American transport aircraft at the base were “not true.”
The Taliban has also rejected the reports. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid described them as “propaganda,” stating, “Afghanistan is an independent country, and it has independent forces. There is no need for any other military presence, nor will it be allowed.”
Bagram Air Base, once a central hub for US and NATO operations in the country, was vacated in July 2021 as part of the US withdrawal. Since then, it has remained under the Taliban’s control, who also inherited equipment left behind during the withdrawal.
Reports of a possible US return to Bagram appeared to gain traction after Khaama Press cited a now-deleted article on Medium, which claimed CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis flew into Bagram aboard a C-17 aircraft on April 7. The Medium post, credited to an author named Zark Shabab, also alleged that talks were underway between the Taliban and US officials to resume intelligence cooperation—beginning with the base’s transfer.
The post has since been removed, and Medium confirmed that the author’s account is under investigation. Meanwhile, CIA Director of Public Affairs Liz Lyons categorically denied the claim, saying in a statement on April 11, “Reports that CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis was at Bagram Air Base are false.”
President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly voiced concerns over China’s influence in Central Asia, said in February 2025 that the US should re-establish a small military presence in Afghanistan, particularly at Bagram. “We were going to have Bagram Air Base, one of the biggest air bases in the world,” he remarked during a cabinet meeting.
Nevertheless, there is currently no indication that US troops have re-entered Afghanistan or regained access to Bagram. The United States does not recognize the Taliban government, and in February 2025, the Taliban officially annulled the 2020 peace deal signed with Washington.
