LONDON, U.K.: The United States is seeking to regain control of Bagram air base in Afghanistan, President Donald Trump said this week during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. An Afghan official quickly rejected the idea, saying no U.S. military presence was needed. Zakir Jalal of the foreign ministry posted on X that Kabul and Washington could build relations "without the United States maintaining any military presence in any part of Afghanistan." Adam Boehler, the Trump administration's special hostage envoy, and Zalmay Khalilzad, a former U.S. envoy for Afghanistan, met with Taliban foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi. The United States does not formally recognize the Taliban government, which has ruled Afghanistan since the collapse of the Western-backed administration in 2021.