Kokcha News Agency — Full details: Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has called senior figures of the movement to Kandahar to deliberate the future of Bagram Airbase.
The meeting, which started at dawn on Saturday and will continue for three days, is ostensibly for “consultation” but appears aimed at consolidating power and issuing new directives. Informed sources in Kandahar say the central issue is Bagram’s fate, while other items on the agenda include internal reforms, media and information control, and even the removal of disobedient commanders.
No official Taliban spokesperson has yet commented on the gathering. Meanwhile, reports have emerged that U.S. President Donald Trump is seeking the return of American forces to Bagram — a move that has drawn fierce Taliban reactions. Military leaders such as Fasihuddin Fetrat and Tajmir Jawad warned forcefully that they will not cede “an inch of Afghan soil” and threatened suicide attacks if provoked.
The core question remains: who has the right to decide Bagram’s destiny? As a self-declared government that did not attain power through elections or popular mandate, the Taliban lack the political legitimacy to unilaterally determine the country’s geography. Bagram is not only a military asset but also part of Afghanistan’s memory and national sovereignty; any decision about it should be made via a Loya Jirga with real representatives of the people.
Concentrating such decisions within a closed Kandahar circle will not strengthen Taliban legitimacy but deepen the gap between the populace and rulers. Afghanistan stands at a delicate historical moment; a country still reeling from war cannot again fall victim to unilateral choices.
If the Taliban truly value independence and national sovereignty, they must abandon secret, intra-group decisions and respect the will of the people through the Loya Jirga and national institutions.
Otherwise, Bagram will become a new symbol of the Taliban’s legitimacy crisis. How long must Afghans endure decisions about their fate made by an unelected group? Isn’t it time the people’s voice replaces orders issued behind closed doors?
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