Reports that Taliban ceded Bagram Air Base to US are unfounded
- Published on April 11, 2025 at 19:34
- Updated on April 14, 2025 at 16:46
- 4 min read
- By Daniel Patrick GALGANO, AFP USA
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"The Taliban Hands Over Bagram Air Base to the United States," says an article headline posted on X on April 8, 2025.
The same claim circulated elsewhere on X, Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok and YouTube.
Bagram's air base, the largest of its kind in Afghanistan, served as a key strategic center for US and NATO military operations before they withdrew from the site in July 2021.
The base has been controlled by the Taliban government for more than three years, during which it seized equipment US troops left behind during their departure.
US President Donald Trump has indicated he would like to station a small contingent of American soldiers in Bagram to ward off Chinese influence in the region, telling reporters, "we were going to have Bagram Air Base, one of the biggest air bases in the world" in a February 2025 cabinet meeting (archived here).
Despite the US president's stated goals, the claims that troops have retaken the base in April 2025 are unfounded.
Contacted by AFP, a US defense official said in an April 9 email that the reports of the United States taking over the base and flying a transport plane to the town are "not true" and that "there is no US military presence in Bagram."
In early April, Persian-language outlet Deeyar Television reported that an American C-17 aircraft was detected flying through Afghan airspace (archived here). The report focused on the path of the flight and did not make any claims regarding it landing.
Claims related to the handover of Bagram gained traction in English after Afghanistan's Khaama Press reported that the US Central Intelligence Agency's Deputy Chief, Michael Ellis, supposedly flew to the facility in a C-17 military aircraft.
But the evidence for this claim was an article on the blogging website Medium credited to Zark Shabab.
Medium, which allows anyone to create an account and publish content, has since removed Shabab's author page and the article -- a copy of which was captured via the Internet Archive -- saying the account is under investigation.
The Medium piece included an image of a US Air Force plane landing at the Bagram Air Base, but did not indicate the photo was years old.
A reverse image search reveals that the picture was taken in July 1, 2021 by AFP photographer Wakil Kohsar.
The United States does not recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan, and in February, Taliban leaders annulled the peace agreement with Washington that paved the way for the American withdrawal.
In an April 6 statement, chief Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the reports of US involvement in Bagram are "propaganda" and that the "Afghan people know it's impossible."
He told government-owned broadcaster Radio Television Afghanistan: "Afghanistan is an independent country, and it has independent forces. There is no need for any other military presence, nor will it be allowed. Afghanistan is a country that has peace and security, there is no need for such a step" (archived here).
CIA Director of Public Affairs Liz Lyons also denied the claims that Ellis has traveled to Bagram.
"Reports that CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis was at Bagram Air Base are false," she said in an April 11 statement.
AFP has debunked other claims about Afghanistan here.
Susannah Walden contributed reporting to this fact check.This article was updated to add reporting about a C-17 plane flying over Afghanistan in early April.
April 14, 2025 This article was updated to add reporting about a C-17 plane flying over Afghanistan in early April.
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