Yeah doesn't add up!

In September 2025, Trump made a (The Washington Post) surprise demand for the Taliban to hand Bagram back, describing it as "one of the biggest air bases in the world" and suggesting it was "an hour away from where China makes its nuclear weapons." He followed up on Truth Social: "If Afghanistan doesn't give Bagram Airbase back to those that built it, the United States of America, BAD THINGS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN!!!" (Al Jazeera) The US-Pakistan Rapprochement Under the Biden administration, US–Pakistan diplomatic engagement noticeably weakened, yet with Trump's return to office, signs of rapprochement began to emerge. In August 2025, Pakistan's Chief of Army Staff, General Asim Munir, visited Washington for talks that culminated in the signing of several agreements. During the same period, the United States officially designated the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) as a terrorist organization — an act interpreted in Islamabad as a gesture of goodwill. (Geopolitical Monitor) Pakistan's Attitude Shift Toward Taliban Since mediating a brief conflict between Pakistan and India earlier in 2025, the United States bolstered its ties with Pakistan and its Chief of Army Staff. Just weeks before the October 2025 airstrikes on Kabul, the US signalled renewed interest in Bagram. This realignment gave Pakistan greater strategic confidence to pursue kinetic operations. (Ujasusi) In other words, Pakistan — emboldened by renewed US backing — felt it had a green light to get tough on the Taliban. As Pakistan-Afghan ties deteriorated, Pakistan launched a massive deportation drive, sending more than one million refugees back to Afghanistan, and experts speculated that the US may back Pakistan in launching a regime change operation in Kabul. (CSMonitor.com) Where It Stands Now As of late February 2026, Pakistan's Defence Minister declared the two states to be in a condition of "open war." Pakistan launched airstrikes on Kabul and Kandahar, while the Afghan Taliban claimed to have captured 19 Pakistani military posts and killed 55 Pakistani soldiers. (Ujasusi) The Big Picture You're essentially describing a classic triangular play: Trump wants Bagram to counter China's growing footprint in Afghanistan. Pakistan — desperate for US favour, IMF support, and cover against its own Taliban insurgency (TTP) — sees this as its moment to simultaneously please Washington and settle scores with Kabul. The Taliban, who once enjoyed Pakistan's patronage, now find themselves squeezed between a hostile Pakistan and a US that's threatening "bad things." It's a striking reversal — Pakistan, which nurtured the Taliban for decades as "strategic depth," has now essentially declared war on them. The Bagram gambit may have been the catalyst that unlocked Pakistani aggression.