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China going to take over Bagram: Trump

Trump accused the Biden administration of intentionally trying to move on from the withdrawal and its ongoing aftermath….reports Asian Lite News

Former US President Donald Trump has slammed the Joe Biden administrations “surrender” of Afghanistan, warning that China could take hold of the Bagram Air Base, formerly the largest US military base in Afghanistan, Fox News reported.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News, Trump accused the Biden administration of intentionally trying to move on from the withdrawal and its ongoing aftermath.

“We would have kept Bagram because it is next to China,” Trump said, adding, “And it is one hour away from their nuclear facility, and we gave that up too. And now China’s going to take over Bagram, in my opinion.”

Trump told Fox News that even while he planned to eventually withdraw from Afghanistan, he would have maintained hold over the Parwan Detention Facility — a military prison at the Bagram Air Base.

“What they did with the so-called withdrawal, which was really a surrender, it was the most embarrassing, horrible thing, and I don’t know that we will ever psychologically recover from that,” Trump said, Fox News reported.

Trump, during his administration, had brokered a deal with the Taliban for a May 2021 troop withdrawal.

“Don’t forget, I’m the one who brought it down to 2,500 troops. I would have been out too, but we would have been out with strength. We would have come out with strength,” Trump said.

Meanwhile, Trump blasted the Biden administration for pulling the military out first, amid reports of hundreds of American citizens and US visa holders remaining in Afghanistan under Taliban rule.

“We would have gotten all the people out, we would have brought all of our equipment out, we wouldn’t have had dead soldiers, we wouldn’t have soldiers missing arms and legs—because people don’t even talk about that—we lost 13, but we have many that have been gravely wounded. None of that would have happened,” Trump said.

“It was time to get out, but the way he got out was such a disaster,” he added.

As per the report, Trump went on to say that he holds “the generals responsible because they should have never allowed that to happen”.

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Bagram: The Heart of US Military in Afghanistan

For almost 20 years, Bagram has been the primary military base used by the US to wage its war in Afghanistan…reports Asian Lite News

The withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan reached a significant milestone on Friday, with officials confirming that all American forces had left the sprawling Bagram Air Base, CBS News reported.

For almost 20 years, Bagram has been the primary military base used by the US to wage its war in Afghanistan, the report said.

The American forces’ unceremonious departure from Bagram is the most significant evidence yet that America’s longest war has finally come to an end. The base was in the hands of Afghan security forces as of Friday — way ahead of the deadline President Joe Biden set to have all US forces out by September 11.

However, it doesn’t mean the withdrawal of America troops is complete, and officials stressed that the top US commander in Afghanistan, Army General Scott Miller, “still retains all the capabilities and authorities to protect the forces” still in the country.

Bagram Airfield(Pic credits Wikipedia)

The US military hasn’t said when the last American soldiers are due to pack up and head home from Afghanistan, but there’s a lot of unfinished business, the report said.

The Taliban welcomed the news of the Bagram handover, spokesman Suhail Shaheen told CBS News on Friday, adding: “We hope there are no more foreign soldiers on our land.”

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Daily Mail reported for close to 20 years, Bagram Airfield was the heart of American military power in Afghanistan, a sprawling mini-city behind fences and blast walls just an hour’s drive north of Kabul.

It was initially a symbol of the US drive to avenge the 9/11 attacks and then of its struggle for a way through the ensuing war with the Taliban.

Now, in just a matter of days, the last US soldiers will have departed Bagram.

They are leaving what probably everyone connected to the base — whether American or Afghan — considers a strained legacy, the report said.

Bagram Airfield(Pic credits Wikipedia)

US Central Command said last week it is well past 50 per cent packing up Bagram and the rest is going fast. American officials have said the entire pullout of US troops will most likely be completely finished by July 4.

The Afghan military will then take over Bagram as part of its continuing fight against the Taliban — and against what many in the country fear will be a new eruption of chaos.

As the withdrawal date for the US troops approaches, thousands of Afghan translators now face being left stranded because they haven’t yet been accepted for a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) into America, the report added.

Up to 18,000 translators and interpreters are under constant fear of deadly attacks from the Taliban and have been run out of their homes because of their support for the American government over the last 20 years.

It has cost the US military 2,312 lives and $816 billion, according to the Department of Defence.

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