Mysterious US military flight to Afghanistan sparks speculation about Bagram air base

Military cargo plane from Doha was reportedly carrying CIA deputy chief

A US military cargo plane that flew into Afghanistan last week has sparked speculation that America could retake control of the strategic Bagram air base.

According to local media reports, the C-17 aircraft took off from Doha’s Al Udeid military base, arrived in Afghanistan via Pakistan on Sunday, and landed at Bagram.

The aircraft was said to be carrying senior US intelligence officials, including CIA deputy chief Michael Ellis, and military equipment, Khaama Press reported.

The outlet claimed the Taliban had handed over the base, which president Donald Trump expressed interest in reclaiming during his presidential election campaign, to the US.

The claim was swiftly denied by the Taliban's chief spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, who described it as “propaganda”. He said the Taliban had complete control of the air base.

An American takeover of the base was “impossible”, Mr Mujahid said, and “there is no need for any country’s military presence in Afghanistan at present and the Islamic Emirate will not allow such an action”.

Zia Ahmad Takal, a deputy spokesperson at Afghanistan’s foreign ministry, issued a denial as well. “This news is not correct,” he told The Independent.

The Pentagon is yet to comment on the reports, but a US defence source told The Independent that “there is no US military presence in Afghanistan”.

The Bagram air base, north of the capital Kabul, served as the command node for American and allied Nato forces for two decades as they waged a war against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.

The base, the size of a small city, was captured by the Taliban soon after Western troops vacated it, shutting off power and slipping away as they withdrew from the country, in the summer of 2021.

An aerial view of landscape outside Bagram airfield in Afghanistan (Getty)

Bagram has two runways and over 100 parking spots for fighter jets known as revetments because of the blast walls which protect each aircraft. One of the runways, built in 2006, measures 12,000ft long.

It also boasts a passenger lounge, a 50-bed hospital and hangar-sized tents filled with supplies like furniture.

Mr Trump has repeatedly talked about taking back control of the Bagram base. He claimed last month that Washington planned to return to the base because it now allegedly hosted Chinese troops.

Bagram air base is situated north of Kabul (AFP via Getty)

“I am the one who got our military presence to under 5,000 but we were going to keep Bagram, not because of Afghanistan but because of China, because the air base is exactly one hour from where China makes its nuclear missiles,” Mr Trump said. “So, we were going to keep Bagram.”

Bagram was one of the largest air bases in the world, complete with “one of the biggest and most powerful runways”, the US president added. “And we gave it up. And you know who is occupying it at the moment? China. Because Biden gave it up. So, we are going to keep that.”

At the time, Mr Mujahid dismissed Mr Trump’s comments as “emotional” and said US officials should “refrain” from making "statements based on unsubstantiated information”.