'We're trying to get it back': Trump wants US troops to return to Bagram Airfield

"We were going to leave Afghanistan, but we were going to leave it with strength and dignity, and we were going to keep Bagram, the big air base — one of the biggest air bases in the world. We gave it to them for nothing," Trump said.

At the same time, he noted that the US intends to regain control over this airbase.

"We're trying to get it back (Bagram Airfield – ed.) 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. So, a lot of things are happening," the US president added.

US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan

After the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, US armed forces and allied armies deployed troops to Afghanistan. The goal of the campaign was to bring al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to justice and limit the ability of this organization to threaten the United States.

On February 29, 2020, the US and leaders of the Taliban signed a peace agreement called the Agreement for Bringing Peace to Afghanistan.

The document provided for the withdrawal of all regular US and NATO troops from Afghanistan and obliged the Taliban to counter al-Qaeda in areas under their control, as well as to negotiate with the government of the then Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.

Under the agreement, the US fully committed to withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan by August 31, 2021. The last American soldier left the country on September 11, 2021. Thus, this war became the longest US military operation.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine because of the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.