Bagram Airfield

Prelims (GS I) – Current events of national and international importance.

Mains (GS II) – International relations

Why in news?

Recently, U.S President claimed that China now occupied the Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield, which the US vacated in 2021.

• Bagram Airfield – It is the largest airfield in Afghanistan which is situated at 15 Km from Kabul.
• Location – Bagram Airfield is located in Parwan province.

• Strategic importance – Parwan province provides key connections to multiple Afghan regions through highways and tunnel.
• Origin – Built by the Soviet Union in the 1950s during Cold War competition for influence in Afghanistan.
• Soviet era (1979-89) – Served as a vital military base during the Soviet-Afghan War.
  • Used for deploying airborne divisions.
  • Base for Sukhoi Su-25 aircraft missions against mujahideen forces.
• 1990s - Became a frontline in the conflict between Taliban and Northern Alliance, and suffered heavy damage.
• US occupation (2001-2021) – U.S occupied this airfield after the September 11, 2001 attacks.
• Over the next two decades, as the “War on Terror” raged on, Bagram became the epicentre of the American presence in Afghanistan.
  • It Expanded the Airfield with new run way, medical facilities and detention facilities.
• US Withdrawal – Trump administration signed a deal with Taliban in 2020 for NATO troop withdrawal.
• US forces vacated Bagram on July 2, 2021.
• Taliban took control of the base on August 15, 2021.
• Significance of Bagram to China – China has recently strengthened its relations with Afghanistan by approving its ambassadors with Taliban.
• It is significant because China has a sizable Muslim population of its own in the bordering Xinjiang.
• Beijing would want to ensure that radical elements in Afghanistan do not cross over into its own territory.
• To that end, it has attempted to bolster ties within a limited framework and also made some investments in Afghanistan.

Reference

The Indian Express| Story of The Strategic Air Base in Afghanistan