Bagram Airfield

{{Further|Afghanistan–United States relations}}

File:MiG-15s and Il-28s at Kabul 1959.jpg during U.S. President Eisenhower's visit in 1959.]]

In the 1950s, Bagram airfield was originally built by the Soviet Union{{cite news

| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/21/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-bagram-prison.html

| title=At an Abandoned American Base, a Notorious Prison Lies Empty

| first=David

| last=Zucchino

| newspaper=The New York Times

| date=2021-12-21

| access-date=2023-08-03

| url-status=live

| archive-date=2023-04-08

| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408201421/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/21/world/asia/afghanistan-taliban-bagram-prison.html

}} during the early period of the Cold War, at a time when the United States and the neighboring Soviet Union were spreading political influence in Afghanistan. While the United States was focusing on Afghanistan, the Soviets were strengthening ties with Fidel Castro's regime in Cuba. In 1959, a year after Afghan Prime Minister Daud Khan toured the United States, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower landed at Bagram Airfield where he was greeted by King Zahir Shah and Daud Khan among other Afghan officials.{{cite web|url=http://www.meridian.org/insmallthingsremembered/president-dwight-d-eisenhower-inspects-the-honor-guard-upon-arrival-at-bagram-airport|title=In Small Things Remembered » President Dwight D. Eisenhower inspects the honor guard upon arrival at Bagram Airport.|access-date=1 June 2015|archive-date=14 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114041950/http://www.meridian.org/insmallthingsremembered/president-dwight-d-eisenhower-inspects-the-honor-guard-upon-arrival-at-bagram-airport|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.meridian.org/insmallthingsremembered/president-eisenhower-is-welcomed-at-the-airport-by-king-zahir-shah-afghan-government-officials-and-children|title=In Small Things Remembered » President Eisenhower is welcomed at the airport by King Zahir Shah, Afghan government officials, and children.|access-date=1 June 2015|archive-date=5 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210305202318/http://www.meridian.org/insmallthingsremembered/president-eisenhower-is-welcomed-at-the-airport-by-king-zahir-shah-afghan-government-officials-and-children|url-status=dead}}

In 1976, the original runway {{convert|10000|ft|m|adj=mid|long|order=flip}}, was built. The airport at Bagram was maintained by the Afghan Air Force (AAF) with some support from the United States. During the 1980s Soviet–Afghan War, it played a key role, serving as a hub for the Limited Contingent of Soviet Forces in Afghanistan operations and a base for its troops and supplies. Bagram was also the initial staging point for the invading Soviet forces at the beginning of the conflict, with elements of two Soviet Airborne Troops' divisions being deployed there. Aircraft based at Bagram, including the 368th Assault Aviation Regiment flying Su-25s, provided close air support for Soviet and Afghan troops in the field. The 368th Assault Aviation Regiment was stationed at Bagram from October 1986 to November 1987.Frank Rozendaal, Rene van Woezik and Tieme Festner, 'Bear tracks in Germany: The Soviet Air Force in the former German Democratic Republic: Part 1, Air International, October 1992, p. 210.

File:Микоян-Гуревич МиГ-21 -, Баграм RP46692.jpg MiG-21 fighter jets at Bagram, 1980]]

Some of the Soviet land forces based at Bagram included the 108th Motor Rifle Division and the 345th Independent Guards Airborne Regiment of the 105th Guards Vienna Airborne Division. Following the withdrawal of the Soviet forces and the rise of the Western-funded and Pakistani-trained{{cite news|title=Terror 'blowback' burns CIA |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/terror-blowback-burns-cia-1182087.html |first=Andrew |last=Marshall |work=The Independent on Sunday |location=London |date=1 November 1998 |access-date=16 September 2009}} mujahideen rebels, Afghanistan plunged into civil war. Many of its support buildings and base housing built by the Soviet Armed Forces during their occupation were destroyed by years of fighting between various warring Afghan factions after the Soviets left.

From 1999 onward, control of the base was contested between the Northern Alliance and Taliban, often with each controlling territory on opposite ends of the airfield. Taliban forces were consistently within artillery and mortar range of the field, denying full possession of the strategic facility to the Northern Alliance. Press reports indicated that at times a Northern Alliance general was using the bombed-out control tower as an observation post and as a location to brief journalists, with his headquarters nearby.

Reports also indicated that Northern Alliance rocket attacks on Kabul had been staged from Bagram, possibly with Russian-made FROG-7 Rockets. In 2000, the Taliban took over control and forced the Northern Alliance to retreat further to the north.

{{see also|2019 Bagram Airfield attack|date=December 2019}}

File:Defense.gov News Photo 011216-D-2987S-241.jpg speaks to U.S. troops at Bagram on 16 December 2001.]]

During the US-led retribution on the Taliban for harboring the terrorist organization responsible for 9/11, the base was secured by a team from the United Kingdom's Special Boat Service. By early December 2001, troops from the 10th Mountain Division shared the base with Special Operations Command officers from MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, Paratroopers of the 82nd Airborne Division from Fort Bragg, and a small communications team consisting of personnel from the 269th Signal Company, 11th Signal Brigade out of Fort Huachuca. The British force consisted of B and C Companies from 40 Commando, Royal Marines. As of mid-December 2001 more than 300 U.S. troops, mainly with the 10th Mountain Division, were providing force protection at Bagram. The troops patrolled the base perimeter, guarded the front gate, and cleared the runway of explosive ordnance. As of early January 2002, the number of 10th Mountain Division troops had grown to about 400 soldiers.

There were numerous dining facilities at Bagram Airfield. Troops and civilians had various dining options that included Pizza Hut, Subway, an Afghan restaurant, as well as Green Beans coffee shops.

In late January 2002, there were somewhere around 4,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, of which about 3,000 were at Kandahar International Airport, and about 500 were stationed at Bagram. The runway began to be repaired by US, Italian, and Polish military personnel. By mid-June 2002, Bagram Airfield was serving as home to more than 7,000 U.S. and other armed services. Numerous tent areas housed the troops based there, including one named Viper City. It was reported that "Bagram came under daily rocket attack" in 2002 even though most of these attacks went unreported by the press.{{cite web|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/33123|title=Life At Bagram|publisher=Newsweek|date=5 July 2007|access-date=9 August 2010}}{{cite web|url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=29548|title=Rocket, Small Arms Fire Aimed at Bagram Airfield|publisher=US Department of Defense|date=22 January 2010|access-date=9 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100830064745/http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=29548|archive-date= 30 August 2010 |url-status = live}} Landmines were also a serious concern in and around Bagram Airfield.{{cite web|url=http://lm.icbl.org/index.php/publications/display?url=lm/2003/afghanistan.html |title=Afghanistan|publisher=Landmine and cluster munition monitor|year=2003–2004|access-date=9 August 2010}}

By late 2003, B-huts, {{convert|18|by|36|ft|m|adj=on|order=flip}} structures made of plywood designed to hold eight troops,{{cite web|url=http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=27752|title=Buildings going up at Bagram Airfield as U.S. forces dig in for the long haul |last=Harris|first=Kent |date=15 March 2005|work=Stars and Stripes|access-date=16 September 2009}} were replacing the standard shelter option for troops. There were several hundred, with plans to build close to 800 of them. The plans were to have nearly 1,200 structures built by 2006, but completion of the project was expected much earlier; possibly by July 2004. The increased construction fell under U.S. Central Command standards of temporary housing and allowed for the building of B-huts on base, not to show permanence, but to raise the standard for troops serving here. The wooden structures had no concrete foundation and thus were not considered permanent housing, just an upgrade from the tents, the only option Bagram personnel and troops had seen previously. The small homes offered troops protection from environmental conditions including wind, snow, sand and cold. During 2005, a USO facility was built and named after former pro football player and United States Army Ranger, Pat Tillman.

File:George and Laura Bush at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan.jpg George W. Bush and wife Laura Bush arrive at Bagram Airfield in Air Force One on 1 March 2006.]]

A second runway, {{Convert|3500|m}} long,{{cite web|url=http://www.azworldairports.com/airports/a1005bpm.cfm|title=Bagram Air Base (OAIX) |publisher=AZ World Airports|access-date=16 September 2009}} was built and completed by the United States in late 2006, at a cost of US$68 million. This new runway is {{Convert|497|m}} longer than the previous one and {{Convert|280|mm}} thicker, giving it the ability to land larger aircraft, such as the C-5 Galaxy, C-17 Globemaster III, Il-76, An-124, An-225 or the Boeing 747 (which is used by civilian cargo airlines).[https://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/455th-Air-Expeditionary-Wing/ Bagram Airfield opens $68 million runway] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070319185612/http://www.bagram.afnews.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123035900 |date=2007-03-19 }}.

By 2007, Bagram had become the size of a small town, with traffic jams and many commercial shops selling goods from clothes to food. The base itself is situated high up in the mountains and sees temperatures drop to {{Convert|-29|C}}. Due to the height and snowstorms commercial aircraft have difficulty landing there, and older aircraft often rely on very experienced crews in order to be able to land there. The base was able to house 10,000 troops in 2009.{{cite news |title=Bagram: US base in Afghanistan |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4672491.stm |publisher=BBC |date=27 February 2007}}

The 2007 Bagram Airfield bombing was a suicide attack that killed up to 23 people and injured 20 more, at a time when Dick Cheney, then Vice-President of the United States, was visiting Afghanistan. The attack occurred inside one of the security gates surrounding the heavily guarded base. Yousef Ahmadi, one of the Taliban spokesmen, claimed responsibility for the attack and said that Cheney was the intended target. Another Taliban spokesman later confirmed that Osama bin Laden planned the attack, and reiterated that Cheney was the intended target. This claim is supported by the relatively limited number of large suicide bombings carried out in Afghanistan, combined with the intensity of this particular attack, and the fact that Cheney was at the base. Cheney was unharmed from the attack, however. Among the dead were a U.S. soldier, a U.S. contractor, a South Korean soldier, and 20 Afghan workers at the base.

File:Bagram Air Field 081111-F-0168M-032.jpg at the base in 2008]]

In 2008, several U.S. service members were accused of accepting bribes for the award of building contracts on Bagram.{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904415_pf.html |title=Afghan Men Tricked Into U.S. Trip, Detained: Possible Witnesses Have Been Forced To Stay Since 2008 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=10 October 2009 |author=Carrie Johnston |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121108231707/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/09/AR2009100904415_pf.html |archive-date=8 November 2012 |url-status = live}}{{cite news |url=http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug27/0,4670,AfghanistanContractsIndictment,00.html |title=2 US military men indicted on bribery charges |publisher=Fox News |date=27 August 2008 |author=Caryn Rousseau |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912053513/http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2008Aug27/0,4670,AfghanistanContractsIndictment,00.html |archive-date=12 September 2008 |url-status = live}}

{{cite news |url=http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/August/08-at-756.html |title=Five Individuals Arrested, Two Contracting Companies Charged in Bribery Conspiracy Related to Department of Defense Contracts in Afghanistan |publisher=United States Department of Justice |date=28 August 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831160748/http://justice.gov/opa/pr/2008/August/08-at-756.html |archive-date=31 August 2009 |url-status = dead}}{{cite news|url=https://abc7chicago.com/archive/6874768/ |title=2 Chicago military officials plead guilty here, including a soldier named Patton |publisher=ABC 7 |date=19 June 2009 |author=Chuck Goudie |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604050320/http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news%2Fiteam&id=6874768 |url-status = live|archive-date=4 June 2011 }} Four of the Afghans have also faced charges, while three of them have been held as material witnesses. The GI's are reported to have received over 100,000 dollars in bribes.

In March 2009, a car bomb exploded outside the gates of Bagram Airfield facilities, wounding three civilian workers.[http://www.nydailynews.com/news/us_world/2009/03/04/2009-03-04_car_bomb_outside_main_us_base_injures_3_.html Car bomb outside main U.S. base injures 3 in Kabul, Afghanistan; Taliban claims responsibility.] Associated Press, 4 March 2009. In June 2009, two U.S. soldiers were killed and at least six other personnel were wounded during an early morning rocket attack.

In October 2009, The State reported on Bagram's expansion.{{cite news |url=http://www.thestate.com/local/story/989515.html |title=Bagram Airfield keeps growing: More than $200 million in projects in the works |work=The State |date=19 October 2009 |author=Chuck Crumbo |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022080659/http://www.thestate.com/local/story/989515.html |archive-date=22 October 2009 |url-status = dead}} It reported that Bagram was currently undergoing US$200 million expansion projects, and called the Airfield a "boom town". According to the article: "Official U.S. policy is not to create a permanent occupation force in Afghanistan. But it is clear from what's happening at Bagram Airfield—the Afghan end of the Charleston-to-Afghanistan lifeline—that the U.S. military won't be packing up soon." In November 2009, construction of the Parwan Detention Facility was completed. It housed about 3,000 inmates, mostly insurgents who were fighting against Afghanistan and NATO-led forces.

In March 2010, the U.S. Air Force (USAF) installed 150 solar powered lights to address reports of sexual assaults at the base. Eight reported sexual assaults occurred at the base in 2009 involving Airmen; the U.S. Army's sexual assault response team reported treating 45 victims in 2009. The report revealed that most victims knew their attacker.Rolfsen, Bruce, "[http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2010/03/airforce_bagram_assaults_032210w/ Sex assaults spur new lighting at Bagram base]", Military Times, 23 March 2010. In same month, insurgents attacked an area at the base with rockets. One of the rockets landed next to a B-Hut in a camp located on the west side of the base killing a Bosnian national, who was working at Bagram as a contract firefighter.

File:Barack Obama addresses people of United States from Afghanistan 2012.jpg at Bagram in 2012]]

In May 2010, a group of "nearly a dozen" insurgents attacked around the north end of the base. The assault left one U.S. contractor dead while nine service members were reported wounded. A spokesman for Bagram said a building was slightly damaged during the attack. Taliban spokesman claimed 20 armed men wearing suicide vests attacked the base with four detonating explosives at the entrances, but the military spokesman said they failed "to breach the perimeter" and were "unable to detonate their suicide vests."{{cite news |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/05/19/afghanistan.bagram.attack/index.html?hpt=T2 |title=Nearly a dozen militants dead after Bagram attack |publisher=CNN.com |date=19 May 2010 |author=Atia Abawi}} The attackers were dressed in U.S. Army uniforms.{{cite news|last=Vandiver|first=John|url=http://www.stripes.com/news/two-u-s-army-green-berets-get-silver-stars-12-others-get-bronze-stars-for-valor-1.146541|title=Two U.S. Army Green Berets get Silver Stars, 12 others get Bronze Stars for valor|work=Stars and Stripes|date=13 June 2011}}{{cite news|last=Ryan|first=John|url=http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/07/army-special-forces-silver-stars-070211w/|title=2 SF earn Silver Stars for Afghanistan heroics|work=Military Times|date=2 July 2011}}

Early on the morning of 30 December 2010, Taliban militants fired two rockets on Bagram though no casualties were reported. The insurgents claimed responsibility for the incident.{{cite web|url=http://www.tolonews.com/en/component/content/article/1457-taliban-fire-rockets-on-bagram-airbase |title=Taliban Fire Rockets on Bagram Airbase |publisher=TOLO News |access-date=30 December 2010 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110725232032/http://www.tolonews.com/en/component/content/article/1457-taliban-fire-rockets-on-bagram-airbase |archive-date=25 July 2011 }} After the 2012 Afghanistan Quran burning protests the United States decided to transfer the running of the Parwan Detention Facility to Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), although the Americans continued to have access to the facility and veto power over the release of inmates.

File:A U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter assigned to the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron takes off at Bagram Airfield, Parwan province, Afghanistan, for a night training mission Nov. 13, 2013 131113-F-KB808-115.jpg

On 18 June 2013, the base was the subject of a mortar attack by Taliban forces, which resulted in four U.S. troops being killed and several others wounded.[https://archive.today/20130624143641/http://www.news9.com/story/22626514/ap-sources-4-us-troops-killed-in-afghanistan AP sources: 4 US troops killed in Afghanistan] Oklahoma News 9 On Thanksgiving evening in 2013, a rocket attack killed 2 civilian contractors as they slept in their B hut on the southern part of the field.{{cite web|url=http://hamptonroads.com/2013/12/loss-afghanistan-felt-deeply-pungo|title=Loss in Afghanistan felt deeply in Pungo|work=The Virginian-Pilot|access-date=1 June 2015|archive-date=21 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141021193322/http://hamptonroads.com/2013/12/loss-afghanistan-felt-deeply-pungo|url-status=dead}}

File:151228-F-CX842-121 (23865613369).jpg]]

On 28 November 2019, U.S. President Donald Trump visited the Bagram Airfield for the first time to celebrate Thanksgiving with the U.S. troops there.{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2019/11/28/politics/trump-afghanistan-visit/index.html|title=President Trump announces Taliban talks have restarted on surprise Afghanistan visit|website=CNN|date=28 November 2019}}

As part of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, after nearly 20 years of continuous U.S. presence at the site, the Bagram Air Base was secretly evacuated by the US during the night on 1 July 2021 and de facto handed back to the Afghan government on 2 July 2021.{{Cite news|last=Gibbons-Neff|first=Thomas|date=2021-07-02|title=U.S. Leaves Its Last Afghan Base, Effectively Ending Operations|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/02/world/asia/afghanistan-bagram-us-withdrawal.html|access-date=2021-07-02|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web|date=2021-07-02|title=US troops leave Afghanistan's Bagram airbase after nearly 20 years|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/02/us-troops-leave-afghanistans-bagram-air-base-after-nearly-20-years|access-date=2021-07-02|website=the Guardian|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Youssef|first=Gordon Lubold and Nancy A.|date=2021-07-02|title=U.S. Shuts Down Bagram Air Base as Afghanistan Pullout Speeds Up|language=en-US|work=Wall Street Journal|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-shuts-down-bagram-air-base-as-afghanistan-pullout-speeds-up-11625221544|access-date=2021-07-02|issn=0099-9660}}{{Cite web|title=U.S. withdraws from largest airbase in Afghanistan|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/military/u-s-military-leaves-bagram-airfield-hands-it-afghans-after-n1272958|access-date=2021-07-02|website=NBC News|date=2 July 2021 |language=en}}

The last remaining U.S. troops left the base by shutting off the electricity and slipping away in the night without notifying the Afghan Armed Forces.{{cite web| url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/5/us-left-bagram-airfield-without-notice-afghan-officials-say| title=US left Bagram without telling new commander: Afghan officials

| website= Aljazeera | access-date=11 July 2021 | date= 5 July 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708100755/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/5/us-left-bagram-airfield-without-notice-afghan-officials-say| archive-date=8 July 2021|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine| url=https://time.com/6078038/bagram-airfield-afghanistan/| title=U.S. Pulls Out of Afghanistan's Bagram Airfield in the Middle of the Night—Without Telling the New Commander | magazine= Time | access-date=11 July 2021 | date= 6 July 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210708200133/https://time.com/6078038/bagram-airfield-afghanistan/| archive-date=8 July 2021|url-status=live}} The base was looted by local civilians soon after U.S. forces left the area. The Afghan National Army later took control of the area and arrested some looters.{{Cite web|last=Haltiwanger|first=John|title=Almost as soon as the US military left its biggest air base in Afghanistan, looters rolled in|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/looters-ransacked-bagram-airbase-afghanistan-as-soon-as-us-left-2021-7|access-date=2021-07-16|website=Business Insider|language=en-US}}

On 15 August 2021, Afghan troops stationed there fell back from their positions, leaving them to the Taliban and losing control of the airfield.{{Cite web |url=https://www.cadillacnews.com/ap/world/afghan-forces-surrender-bagram-air-base-to-taliban/article_31a004d4-db9c-55e3-b772-31ec6cf3157a.html |title=Taliban enters Kabul, awaits 'peaceful transfer' of power | Ap | cadillacnews.com |access-date=15 August 2021 |archive-date=15 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815103533/https://www.cadillacnews.com/ap/world/afghan-forces-surrender-bagram-air-base-to-taliban/article_31a004d4-db9c-55e3-b772-31ec6cf3157a.html |url-status=dead }}

On 9 March 2024, National Resistance Front of Afghanistan (NRF) fighters claimed responsibility for an attack which killed the Bagram Division's chief of staff.{{cite news|url=https://www.afintl.com/en/202403097705|title=Military Official Among 4 Taliban Members Killed, Says NRF|publisher=Afghanistan International|date=9 March 2024|accessdate=11 April 2024}}

On 14 August 2024, the Taliban celebrated their 3 year anniversary of Victory against the United States and Western powers at Bagram airfield.{{Cite web |title=Taliban celebrating three years in power, but they're not talking about Afghans |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/taliban-celebrating-years-power-theyre-talking-afghans-112824058 |access-date=2024-08-15 |website=ABC News |language=en}}

{{Infobox military installation

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Camp Vance, Afghanistan{{cite web|title=CAMP VANCE|url=http://wikimapia.org/32700024/Camp-Vance|website=Wikimapia}} was the base, 1.4 km from the airfield, established in December 2002 by the United States Department of Defense to headquarter the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force (CJSOTF).{{cite web|title=Camp Vance, Afghanistan|url=https://www.rallypoint.com/locations/camp-vance-afghanistan|publisher=Rally Point Networks, Inc}}

The camp was named for Gene Arden Vance Jr., a member of the U.S. Special Forces and a cryptologic linguist who, despite being critically wounded, helped save the lives of two fellow Americans and 18 Afghan soldiers during the hunt for Osama bin Laden in the War in Afghanistan.

Camp Vance was headquartered by U.S. Special Forces troops whose core tasks included advising the Afghan National Army's special operations forces and local police, training forces associated with the Village Stability Operations (VSO) and counterinsurgency (COIN).{{cite web|last1=Morgan|first1=Wesley|title=Coalition Combat Forces in Afghanistan|url=http://www.understandingwar.org/sites/default/files/AfghanistanOrbat_April2013.pdf|website=Institute for the Study of War|access-date=20 February 2017}} The camp also housed highly specialized battalion-level task forces built around Army Special Forces, infantry, a Marine special operations battalion, and a Navy SEAL team.{{cite web|title=Camp Vance Memorial Day service|url=https://www.dvidshub.net/image/589276/camp-vance-memorial-day-service#.VxWRDPkrK7P|publisher=DVIDS}}

{{Main|Parwan Detention Facility}}

File:Nurse office at the detention facility in Parwan.jpg]]

The Parwan Detention Facility (PDF) was completed in 2009 and is located at Bagram Airfield. It was the main detention facility for persons detained by U.S. forces in Afghanistan. The older detention facility, which was located at a different site, has been criticized in the past for alleged torture and prisoner abuse. In 2005, The New York Times reported that two detainees had been beaten to death by guards in December 2002.{{cite news |first=Tim |last=Golden |title=In U.S. Report, Brutal Details of 2 Afghan Inmates' Deaths |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/20/international/asia/20abuse.html?ei=5088&en=4579c146cb14cfd6&ex=1274241600&pagewanted=print |work=The New York Times |date=20 May 2005 |access-date=16 August 2007}} Amnesty International used the word "torture" to describe treatment at the detention center.[http://www.amnestyusa.org/annualreport/statement.html Amnesty International Annual Report] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110220111835/http://www.amnestyusa.org/annualreport/statement.html |date=2011-02-20 }}.

Apart from military and intelligence personnel, the only people officially allowed inside the prison building were Red Cross representatives who inspected the facility once every two weeks. It was reported in February 2009 that detainees had no access to any legal process.{{cite news|first=Charlie|last=Savage|date=2009-02-21|work=The New York Times|title=Obama Upholds Detainee Policy in Afghanistan|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/22/washington/22bagram.html}}. Many of the officers and soldiers interviewed by U.S. Army investigators in the subsequent criminal investigation said the large majority of detainees were compliant and reasonably well treated. However, some interrogators routinely administered harsh treatment which included alleged beatings, sleep deprivation, sexual humiliation, shackling to ceilings, and threats with guard dogs. Amnesty International has criticized the U.S. government for using dogs in this way at the detention center.

In 2005, the number of anti-American militants held at Bagram was 450,{{cite news |title=Afghanistan: Manhunt Continues For Four Suspected Al-Qaeda Fighters |url=http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2005/07/a6ae2509-293d-4750-b82b-b459ac860440.html |publisher=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty | date=12 July 2005}} but began increasing then. In the same year, four al-Qaeda militants escaped from Bagram detention center. To address the mounting human rights violations and the 2005 escape incident, the U.S. decided to build a more modern detention facility. {{As of|2011|11||||post=,}} more than 3,000 alleged militants and foreign terrorists were detained at PDF, roughly 18 times as many as in Guantanamo Bay. The number increased 5-fold since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009.{{cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/bagram-the-other-guantanamo/ |work=CBS News |title=Bagram: The other Guantanamo?}} The detainees included senior members of al-Qaeda and Taliban militant commanders. In 2012, the Afghan government requested that control of the Parwan Detention Facility be handed over to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).

Alleged prisoner abuse at Bagram by U.S. personnel was the subject of the 2007 Academy Award-winning documentary Taxi to the Dark Side. The film details the severe beatings and torture, and ultimate death, of an Afghan taxi driver being held at the Parwan Detention Facility.{{cite news |author=Eliza Griswold |author-link=Eliza Griswold |date=May 2, 2007 |title=The other Guantánamo. Black Hole |url=http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20070507&s=griswold050707 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070509053825/http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20070507&s=griswold050707 |archive-date=May 9, 2007 |access-date=2023-12-20 |publisher=The New Republic}}

{{Update|section|date=November 2024}}

The Heathe N. Craig Joint Theater Hospital on the base is 50 bed military hospital named after SSG Heathe N. Craig, a United States Army medic who died while trying to save a wounded comrade.{{cite news|url=https://www.af.mil/News/story/id/123044135/ |title=New Bagram hospital offers state-of-art care |publisher=United States Air Force |date=9 March 2007 |first=Thomas J. | last=Doscher |access-date=23 January 2010 |quote=The new hospital is the most advanced in the area of operations and features a four-bed trauma bay, three operating rooms and a state of the art dental clinic. |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100414093517/http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123044135 |archive-date=14 April 2010 }}{{cite news|url=https://www.af.mil/News/story/id/123172630/ |title=Craig Joint Theater Hospital team helps build Afghan nursing foundation |publisher=United States Air Force |date=14 October 2009 |author=John Jung |access-date=23 January 2010 |url-status = live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101015180642/http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123172630 |archive-date=15 October 2010}}{{cite news|url=http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=3259|title=New Joint Theater Hospital Offers Advanced Care in Afghanistan|publisher=United States Department of Defense|date=4 March 2007|author=Thomas J. Doscher|access-date=23 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301201241/http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=3259|archive-date=1 March 2010 |url-status = live}}

File:111031-F-HS721-186 (6305316130).jpg attend a ramp ceremony at Bagram Airfield, 31 October 2011, to honour Master Corporal Byron Greff, 3rd Battalion Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.]]

• 19 December 2002: A Block 20 MLU F-16 fighter overran a runway at Bagram Airfield and landed about {{convert|500|m}} away in a mine field. The Danish Air Force pilot was evacuated to a U.S. Army hospital.
• 25 December 2002: A C-130 ran off the runway, closing the runway for a 24-hour period. There were no injuries.
• 20 April 2003: A C-17 landed on part of the runway that was closed due to construction: The C-17 suffered over $2 million in main landing gear damage. There were no injuries.
• 27 February 2007: A suicide bombing at the outer gate of the base left at least 23 people dead and injured 20 others.
• 10 August 2007: A U.S. CH-47 Chinook s/n 83-24123 while on the ground at Bagram Airfield, taxied into another parked CH-47D aircraft (84-24182) and was severely damaged. There were no fatalities. The aircraft was written off.
• 5 August 2008: A United Arab Emirates Air Force C-130 Hercules (S/N 1212) overran the runway and caught fire. There were no casualties. The plane was partially salvaged. {{cite web|url=https://asn.flightsafety.org/asndb/321661|title=Runway excursion Accident Lockheed C-130H Hercules 1212, Tuesday 5 August 2008|author=|date=|website=Aviation Safety Network|access-date=2024-12-04}}{{cite web|url=https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-lockheed-c-130h-hercules-bagram-afb|title=Crash of a Lockheed C-130H Hercules at Bagram AFB|website=Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives|access-date=2024-12-04}}
• 21 October 2008: A United States Navy P-3 Orion reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft overshot the runway while landing. The aircraft caught fire and was destroyed but the only injury to the crew was one broken ankle. The aircraft was from PATWING 5 from Naval Air Station Brunswick and was assigned to CTF-57 in Afghanistan {{citation needed|date=November 2016}}
• 1 March 2010: An ACT Airlines Airbus A300 TC-ACB sustained substantial damage when the port main landing gear did not extend and lock out completely. The gear collapsed on landing, forcing the aircraft to veer off the runway. The aircraft was a write-off and was scrapped within four days of the crash.{{cite web|url=http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20100301-0 |title=Accident description |publisher=Aviation Safety Network |access-date=1 March 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100306082154/http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20100301-0|archive-date=6 March 2010 |url-status = live}}
• 10 June 2011: A French Army Gazelle Viviane crashed about 20 kilometres (12 mi) from Bagram in the north of the country in difficult weather conditions. One person died and the pilot was seriously injured.{{

cite news

|title=Deux militaires français meurent accidentellement en Afghanistan

|publisher=Le Point

|language=fr

|access-date= 22 October 2017

|date=11 June 2011

|author=Jean Guisnel

|url=http://www.lepoint.fr/editos-du-point/jean-guisnel/deux-militaires-francais-meurent-accidentellement-en-afghanistan-11-06-2011-1341045_53.php

|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171022135623/http://www.lepoint.fr/editos-du-point/jean-guisnel/deux-militaires-francais-meurent-accidentellement-en-afghanistan-11-06-2011-1341045_53.php

|archive-date=22 October 2017

}}

• 29 April 2013: National Airlines Flight 102 was a Boeing 747 that crashed on takeoff killing all seven American crew members. The crash was recorded by the dashboard video camera of an approaching vehicle.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/lksDISvCmNI Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20130501013040/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lksDISvCmNI Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web |title=Dramatic footage: Cargo Boeing 747 crashes at Bagram Airfield |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lksDISvCmNI |website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}
• 21 December 2015: A suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 6 U.S. troops in an attack near the base.
• 12 November 2016: A suicide bomber managed to enter the Air Force base, killing at least 4 Americans and injuring 17 others. U.S. and Afghan forces pledged an investigation on the matter.
• 11 December 2019: An Afghan suicide bomber hit an under construction medical facility near the base. Two Afghan civilians were killed and 80 were wounded.{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/9092fc0cbd8b7483cfdbf8fd0e43e4d6|title=Afghan bomber hits medical facility near Bagram Air Base|date=2019-12-11|website=AP NEWS|access-date=2019-12-11}}{{cite web |title=One Killed, 80 Wounded in Taliban Attack Near U.S. Base in Afghanistan |url=https://www.voanews.com/a/south-central-asia_one-killed-80-wounded-taliban-attack-near-us-base-afghanistan/6180899.html |website=Voice of America |date=11 December 2019 |publisher=VOA |access-date=11 December 2019}}{{cite web |title=At least two killed in Taliban suicide attack near US base |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/12/afghan-suicide-attack-targets-military-convoy-kabul-191211035259697.html |website=www.aljazeera.com |publisher=aljazeera |access-date=12 December 2019}}
• 9 April 2020: Five rockets hit the base with no casualties reported. The Taliban denied responsibility and Daesh claimed responsibility.{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-attack-idUSKCN21R0TL|title=Rockets hit U.S. air base in Afghanistan; no casualties|newspaper=Reuters|date=9 April 2020|via=www.reuters.com}}

• Camp Leatherneck
• Camp Marmal
• International Security Assistance Force
• Kandahar International Airport
• List of airports in Afghanistan
• Transit Center at Manas (Manas Air Base)
• War in Afghanistan order of battle, 2012
• 2019 Bagram Airfield attack

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Bagram Air Base}}

• [https://www.afcent.af.mil/Units/455th-Air-Expeditionary-Wing/ 455th AEW's Bagram Airfield Official Site]

{{List of airports}}

{{Airports in Afghanistan}}

{{authority control}}

Category:Airports in Afghanistan

Category:Installations of the United States Air Force in Afghanistan

Category:Military installations of the United States in Afghanistan

Category:Prisoner-of-war camps

Category:Afghanistan–Soviet Union relations

Category:United States Army airfields

Category:War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) sites

Category:Soviet Frontal Aviation

Category:Military installations of Afghanistan

Category:Military installations of the Soviet Union in other countries