Published on, Sept. 22 -- September 22, 2025 3:28 AM

US President Donald Trump's call to "take back" Bagram Airbase has thrust Afghanistan back into the centre of global debate. Abandoned in 2021 during Washington's chaotic withdrawal, the base is more than military infrastructure. It symbolises the cycle of foreign intrusion and retreat that has defined Afghan history, from the Soviet exit in 1989 to the collapse of the US project three decades later.

The Taliban's response was predictable, invoking sovereignty to reject any return of foreign forces. Their fiery declarations, however, conceal an uncomfortable truth. They have yet to meet the most basic obligation of statehood pledged in Doha: preventing Afghan soil from being used for ...