CHEQUERS, United Kingdom (AFP) — United States (US) President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was working to “get back” the Bagram airbase in Afghanistan, which the United States gave up control of shortly before the Taliban takeover of the country in 2021.

“We’re trying to get it back, by the way, that could be a little breaking news. We’re trying to get it back because they need things from us,” Trump said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

“We want that base back,” Trump said, adding that “one of the reasons we want the base is, as you know, it’s an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons.”

US officials did not immediately clarify what Trump meant when he said Washington was trying to get the base back.

Bagram, Afghanistan’s biggest airbase, was the linchpin of US-led operations in the country for two decades after its operation to topple the Taliban following the 11 September attacks on Washington and New York.

But US and North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) troops pulled out of the base in July 2021 as the resurgent Taliban took over swathes of Afghanistan before finally taking control of the entire country.

Trump has repeatedly criticized the loss of the base since returning to power, linking it to his attacks on his predecessor Joe Biden’s handling of the US pullout from Afghanistan.

Trump has also complained about superpower rival China’s growing influence in Afghanistan.

Couple freed

Meanwhile, British couple Peter and Barbie Reynolds have been freed in Afghanistan after several months in detention following mediation by Qatar, an official with knowledge of the release told Agence France-Presse on Friday.

“Barbie and Peter Reynolds have been safely released from detention in Afghanistan following mediation led by Qatar. The Qataris had been engaged with the Afghan authorities for many months, working in close coordination with the British government,” the official said, on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.