Russia has issued a stark warning to Washington after former U.S. President Donald Trump demanded control of Afghanistan’s Bagram airbase, cautioning that any such attempt would ignite fierce Afghan resistance and plunge the region into chaos.
Zamir Kabulov, Moscow’s special envoy for Afghanistan, said a U.S. bid to retake Bagram would have “catastrophic consequences,” stressing that Afghans, hardened by decades of war, would resist any renewed foreign intervention with full force. “This would not be a limited skirmish it would end disastrously for everyone involved,” he cautioned.
Trump has repeatedly insisted that the Taliban immediately hand over Bagram, once the largest American military base in Afghanistan, warning the group that “bad things will happen” if they refuse. His remarks have turned the base into a flashpoint nearly four years after the U.S. withdrawal, rekindling debates about America’s long and costly failure in Afghanistan.
The Taliban’s response has been openly defiant. Their army chief vowed that Afghans had “fought well to defend their independence” and would continue to resist any challenge to their sovereignty. More alarmingly, Tajmir Jawad, the Taliban’s deputy intelligence chief accused for years of masterminding suicide bombings threatened that the group would not hesitate to resume suicide operations if the U.S. attempted to interfere.
Analysts warn that Trump’s rhetoric, combined with Taliban threats, has reignited fears of Afghanistan once again becoming a battleground for global rivalries. Kabulov’s intervention reflects Russia’s concern that instability in Afghanistan could spill over into Central Asia, empowering extremist factions and destabilizing the broader region.
Security experts argue that Bagram is more than a military installation it is a symbol of America’s two-decade occupation, its withdrawal in defeat, and the fragile balance left behind. Any U.S. move to reclaim it, they warn, would unite Afghans under a banner of resistance, embolden jihadist networks, and shatter Washington’s already diminished credibility on the world stage.
With Taliban threats of renewed suicide attacks, Russian warnings of catastrophe, and Trump’s escalatory demands, Bagram has reemerged as a dangerous flashpoint. The row underscores that Afghanistan remains an unresolved battleground where global powers risk colliding, with consequences that could reverberate far beyond its borders.
