Trump explains Bagram Airfield significance to keep an eye on China

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Sep 2022 09:55

Former US President Donald Trump says Biden has committed numerous mistakes, citing the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal as an example.

Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan (AFP)

Former US President Donald Trump claimed Thursday that the Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan was of great significance to the US due to its proximity to China and one of its strategic nuclear facilities.

In an interview for India’s NDTV news channel, Trump considered that the US standing in the world has endured several major failures under the administration of US President Joe Biden.

Trump said that Biden has committed numerous mistakes, citing as an example last year’s hasty withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.

He slammed Biden’s handling of the withdrawal as "incompetent", as the US administration left behind American citizens and equipment worth some "$85 billion".

The former US President considered that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan was the right thing to do, but maintained that it was not executed in a proper manner, arguing that had he been the president at the time, the chaos would not have occurred.

Trump added that Washington "would have kept Bagram, by the way," explaining that the airfield "is one hour away from the Chinese nuclear plant where they make nuclear weapons, right? We should have never given that up."

It is noteworthy that in 2001, the US and British troops occupied the Bagram Air Base in northeastern Afghanistan after Washington and its allies launched their so-called "war on terror."

The airfield was one of the main Western military strongholds in the region, and several prisoners were detained in a camp on its grounds.

The airfield fell in the hands of the Taliban movement after the Afghan troops surrendered and US troops withdrew from it.

Trump told journalists that under the Biden administration, the US had become significantly weaker than ever before "in many ways."

According to the former US President, the US has lost its "voice and respect worldwide," pointing to the soaring inflation and "blackouts all over our country."

Trump considered that Russia would not have launched its special military operation in Ukraine if he were still in office, claiming that China could soon attempt to take control of Taiwan by force.