In a relocation that has actually sent out ripples through diplomatic and intelligence circles, reports have actually emerged recommending the Taliban might have silently turned over control of eastern Afghanistan’s Bagram Air Base to the United States.
According to Khaama Press, an Afghan media outlet, a United States C-17 military airplane just recently landed at the Bagram air base.
Reports show that the airplane left from Al Udeid Air Base in Doha and flew to Afghanistan by means of Pakistan, landing at Bagram.
A report likewise mentioned that the airplane provided not just military automobiles and intelligence hardware properties however likewise high-ranking intelligence workers, consisting of CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis– raising more concerns than responses about Washington’s next relocation.
Though formally unconfirmed, the advancement indicate ongoing American intelligence interests in Afghanistan.
The reported existence of senior CIA authorities at Bagram recommends a possible effort to re-establish United States intelligence networks in the area. No authorities declarations have actually been launched by Washington, the Pentagon, or Islamabad to validate the information or function of this operation.
The Taliban’s primary representative, Zabihullah Mujahid, dismissed the reports outright, calling them “unwarranted.”
Speaking With The Media Line, Mujahid rejected claims that a United States military C-17 airplane had actually landed at Bagram Air Base, identifying such reports as “propaganda” meant to misguide the general public.
He repeated the Taliban’s position that no foreign military existence would be endured in Afghanistan, asserting that there is presently no reason or require for such participation.
On The Other Hand, Sikander Tirakhel, a previous Afghan intelligence authorities, informed The Media Line that “flight information from the day in concern verified the motion of a United States Flying force C-17 airplane en path to Bagram from a Qatari airfield.”
He questioned how the Taliban representative might reject the open-source air travel tracking information relatively validating the aircraft’s landing at Bagram.
” For the last numerous days, the Taliban Unique Forces transferred to protect the border of Bagram Air Base,” Tirakhel stated, including that the Taliban obstructed the highway causing the center. That level of activity is uncommon and “recommends something of tactical significance might undoubtedly have actually happened,” he stated.
Once the switchboard of United States military operations in Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base represents both the scale of America’s long engagement in the area and the remarkable adjustment of power that followed the 2021 withdrawal.
The Taliban’s takeover of the base highlighted the fast collapse of the US-backed Ashraf Ghani’s federal government and the revival of the Taliban as the dominant force.
President Donald Trump had actually formerly pledged to keep control of Bagram Air Base, highlighting its tactical significance beyond Afghanistan. “We are going to keep Bagram, not due to the fact that of Afghanistan, however due to the fact that of China,” he stated last month, indicating a concentrate on the more comprehensive geopolitical landscape.