Kabul, Oct. 4 -- Two senior American officials have denied widespread rumours that US troops have returned to Afghanistan or regained control of the Bagram airbase, once the largest US military installation in the country, Khamaa Press reported.

According to Khamaa Press, the officials, speaking separately from Washington, dismissed the speculation as "entirely baseless."

A Pentagon source said that "no US troops are in Afghanistan," while a senior diplomat confirmed there were "no plans or negotiations to re-establish a military presence in the country."

The denial comes after days of speculation on Afghan social media and local outlets claiming that residents near Bagram, north of Kabul, had been told to evacuate by the Taliban. The ...