RASC News Agency: U.S. President Donald Trump has asserted that Washington must reclaim the American military equipment left behind in Afghanistan, now in the hands of the Taliban. Speaking at a joint press conference alongside the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State, Trump reiterated his longstanding position that he had intended to retain control of Bagram Air Base due to its strategic proximity to China a move he argues was forfeited under President Biden’s leadership. Addressing reporters, Trump stated: “Our plan was to withdraw, but we were supposed to retain Bagram not because of Afghanistan, but because of China. The base is situated just an hour away from the site where China develops its nuclear missiles. That was the plan: to secure Bagram. We were supposed to maintain a small force there, keeping Bagram Air Base operational.”
The president further claimed that Afghanistan has now emerged as one of the world’s largest sellers of military equipment, alleging that the Taliban is actively trading the weaponry left behind by U.S. forces. “We are the number one supplier of military equipment,” Trump remarked. “And the Taliban can you believe it? are either second or third.” Additionally, Trump contended that the disorderly and ill-planned U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin to proceed with his invasion of Ukraine. He emphasized that the United States had abandoned military assets worth tens of billions of dollars in Afghanistan.
Trump concluded by making it clear that U.S. assistance to Afghanistan would only continue if the Taliban returned the American weaponry to Washington, underscoring his administration’s firm stance on the issue.
