Published on, Sept. 23 -- September 23, 2025 2:53 AM

We begin with a prayer for sound judgment and for the protection of innocent lives: May those who hold the levers of power choose restraint over rashness, and may the suffering of ordinary families be spared the thunder of renewed war.

President Trump's recent declaration that the United States "wants [Bagram] back" - and his warning that "bad things are going to happen" if the demand is not met - is not merely a rhetorical flourish. It is a public ultimatum aimed at a sovereign state now governed by a regime that has repeatedly insisted on its independence and territorial integrity. To speak of "getting it back" without acknowledging the scale of what that implies is to invite a dark...