KABUL, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- Afghan officials have sharply rejected U.S. threats to reclaim Bagram Air Base, emphasizing that any attempt to reestablish a foreign military presence would be met with unyielding resistance.
Mullah Tajmir Jawad, first deputy of the General Directorate of Intelligence, responded to calls for U.S. retaking the strategic airfield by saying the Afghan government would preserve the current system.
Echoing this resolve, Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid told media, "Our answer is, if you don't leave and want bases, we are ready to fight you for another 20 years."
Zakir Jalaly, political director of the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, dismissed the notion of a U.S. return, stating that Afghans have "never accepted foreign troops on their territory" and that any dialogue with Washington must exclude military reoccupation.
The Bagram Air Base, located about 50 km north of Kabul, served as the epicenter of U.S. and NATO operations during the two-decade war. ■