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CHEQUERS, United Kingdom: President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was working to “get back” the Bagram air base in Afghanistan, which the United States gave up control of shortly before the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.
“We’re trying to get it back, by the way, that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
“We want that base back,” Trump said, adding that “one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”
US officials did not immediately clarify what Trump meant when he said Washington was trying to get the base back.
Bagram, Afghanistan’s biggest air base, was the linchpin of US-led operations in the country for two decades after its operation to topple the Taliban following the September 11 attacks on Washington and New York.
But US and NATO troops pulled out of the base in July 2021 as the resurgent Taliban took over swathes of Afghanistan before finally taking control of the entire country.
Trump has repeatedly criticized the loss of the base since returning to power, linking it to his attacks on his predecessor Joe Biden’s handling of the US pullout from Afghanistan.
Trump has also complained about superpower rival China’s growing influence in Afghanistan.

LONDON: A resolution has been introduced by a group of Democratic senators in the US in a bid to get the White House to recognize a demilitarized Palestinian state.

The non-binding legislation proposed by Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley comes ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York on Sept. 23, where a number of states have indicated that they will recognize Palestine.

A similar piece of legislation has been proposed by California Democrat Ro Khanna in the House of Representatives.

Earlier this week, a UN commission said it believes there are reasonable grounds to suspect that Israel is responsible for genocide in Gaza.

The resolution calls on Hamas to lay down its arms and release all remaining hostages, while demanding that Israel halt its war in Gaza and settlement expansion in the West Bank.

Other signatories include Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Tina Smith of Minnesota, and Vermont’s Peter Welch and Bernie Sanders.

Merkley told the New York Times: “We need to have an immediate ceasefire, the hostages returned and an inundation of aid. But we also need a vision for where we go so that 30 years from now, there is a peaceful and prosperous Middle East where we’re not caught in the grip of this conflict.”

He added: “I grew up with the framework of the best path to peace is to always stand with Israel, because they will feel the confidence to reach an agreement, but Israel is no longer interested. They’re interested in taking the West Bank. They’re interested in taking Gaza.”

Van Hollen said recent Israeli activity in Gaza was a “campaign of ethnic cleansing,” adding: “The best viable way forward that provides both security and dignity and self-determination for both Israelis and Palestinians alike is a two-state solution.”

The proposal is unlikely to pass the Republican-led Senate, with no senators from the governing party backing it at this time.