Exclusive: Taliban minister jabs Trump, says US President will get Bagram base 'in his dreams'
Speaking to India Today, Muhajir Farahi, the Taliban's Minister for Information and Culture, also issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying Afghanistan would defend its sovereignty against any external aggression.
A senior Taliban minister has mocked US President Donald Trump's longstanding demand for the United States to regain control of Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base, saying the former American military hub would remain out of Washington's reach.
"Trump will get Bagram Air Base only in his dreams," Muhajir Farahi, the Taliban's Minister for Information and Culture, told India Today, dismissing suggestions that the United States could take over the strategically located base.
Bagram Air Base, a Soviet-built military airfield north of Kabul, served as the main hub for US-led forces in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The base fell to the Taliban in August 2021 after the withdrawal of the last American troops, as the group returned to power after a 20-year insurgency.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States should have retained the base because of its strategic location near China.
"We're trying to get it back. We want that base back," Trump said last year while citing Bagram's location near China as the reason Washington should regain control of the facility.
TALIBAN WARNS PAKISTAN
Farahi also issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying Afghanistan would defend its sovereignty against any external aggression.
"The Pakistan military regime has been given a strong reply. We will protect our sovereignty at all costs," he said, amid continuing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad over cross-border security issues.
His remarks come days after the latest flare-up between the two neighbours, following a series of Pakistani airstrikes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The Taliban government said the strikes killed 38 civilians and injured 163, including women and children.
However, Pakistan rejected the allegations, maintaining that its military had targeted militant hideouts. It claimed that 29 militants were killed during the combined ground and air operations.
GROWING TRADE TIES WITH INDIA
On Afghanistan's growing engagement with India, Farahi said Kabul's foreign policy would be guided solely by its national interests and not by the preferences of any other country.
"We have historic ties and deep connections with India. No one can dictate who should be our friend and who should not. We want greater people-to-people engagement and stronger trade with India, which is our neighbour," he told India Today.
His remarks come at a time when India and Afghanistan have steadily rebuilt ties, several years after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Last year, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi. India also upgraded its mission in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy and reaffirmed its commitment to humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.
Farahi added the Taliban government was also working to reduce its dependence on Pakistan by expanding trade through alternative routes.
"Our border crossings with Pakistan have remained shut repeatedly, so we have developed new trade corridors through Central Asia, Iran, India and China. We are strengthening these routes and will no longer remain dependent on Pakistan," he said.
WAR MUSEUM IN KABUL
Farahi also announced plans to establish a war archive museum that would showcase memorabilia from Afghanistan's decades-long conflict, including items linked to the Taliban's victory over the United States.
"We are collecting war memorabilia. It will show future generations how we defeated America," he said.
The "victory" Farahi was referring to was the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, when the group captured Kabul following a swift nationwide offensive that led to the collapse of the US-backed government.
The Taliban's return to power marked the end of the United States' two-decade military intervention, launched after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
A senior Taliban minister has mocked US President Donald Trump's longstanding demand for the United States to regain control of Afghanistan's Bagram Air Base, saying the former American military hub would remain out of Washington's reach.
"Trump will get Bagram Air Base only in his dreams," Muhajir Farahi, the Taliban's Minister for Information and Culture, told India Today, dismissing suggestions that the United States could take over the strategically located base.
Bagram Air Base, a Soviet-built military airfield north of Kabul, served as the main hub for US-led forces in Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
The base fell to the Taliban in August 2021 after the withdrawal of the last American troops, as the group returned to power after a 20-year insurgency.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States should have retained the base because of its strategic location near China.
"We're trying to get it back. We want that base back," Trump said last year while citing Bagram's location near China as the reason Washington should regain control of the facility.
TALIBAN WARNS PAKISTAN
Farahi also issued a stern warning to Pakistan, saying Afghanistan would defend its sovereignty against any external aggression.
"The Pakistan military regime has been given a strong reply. We will protect our sovereignty at all costs," he said, amid continuing tensions between Kabul and Islamabad over cross-border security issues.
His remarks come days after the latest flare-up between the two neighbours, following a series of Pakistani airstrikes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The Taliban government said the strikes killed 38 civilians and injured 163, including women and children.
However, Pakistan rejected the allegations, maintaining that its military had targeted militant hideouts. It claimed that 29 militants were killed during the combined ground and air operations.
GROWING TRADE TIES WITH INDIA
On Afghanistan's growing engagement with India, Farahi said Kabul's foreign policy would be guided solely by its national interests and not by the preferences of any other country.
"We have historic ties and deep connections with India. No one can dictate who should be our friend and who should not. We want greater people-to-people engagement and stronger trade with India, which is our neighbour," he told India Today.
His remarks come at a time when India and Afghanistan have steadily rebuilt ties, several years after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021.
Last year, External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in New Delhi. India also upgraded its mission in Kabul to a full-fledged embassy and reaffirmed its commitment to humanitarian assistance for Afghanistan.
Farahi added the Taliban government was also working to reduce its dependence on Pakistan by expanding trade through alternative routes.
"Our border crossings with Pakistan have remained shut repeatedly, so we have developed new trade corridors through Central Asia, Iran, India and China. We are strengthening these routes and will no longer remain dependent on Pakistan," he said.
WAR MUSEUM IN KABUL
Farahi also announced plans to establish a war archive museum that would showcase memorabilia from Afghanistan's decades-long conflict, including items linked to the Taliban's victory over the United States.
"We are collecting war memorabilia. It will show future generations how we defeated America," he said.
The "victory" Farahi was referring to was the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan on August 15, 2021, when the group captured Kabul following a swift nationwide offensive that led to the collapse of the US-backed government.
The Taliban's return to power marked the end of the United States' two-decade military intervention, launched after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.
