Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid firmly rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s call on Monday to retake Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan.

In an exclusive interview with Sky News UK, Mujahid stated, “Afghans will never allow their land to be handed over to any party under any circumstances.”

He added that the Afghan government has held talks with the United States regarding reopening the Afghan embassy in Washington and the U.S. embassy in Kabul. “We’ve discussed this matter, and we hope to see both embassies reopen in Kabul and Washington,” he said.

Mujahid emphasized that “the Taliban has legitimacy,” noting, “Russia is not the only country that has publicly recognized the Islamic Emirate. Several other countries have also extended recognition, albeit not publicly.”

He acknowledged that the government has imposed increasing restrictions on women and girls, with girls over the age of 12 still banned from attending school. When asked about the possibility of reopening secondary schools for girls, Mujahid declined to make any promises, saying, “I cannot offer any assurances on this matter.”

Regarding the 48-hour internet outage, Mujahid said he did not know the cause and did not comment on whether the government had ordered it. “We have not received any official communication from the Ministry of Communications, so we are not in a position to comment,” he said.

On the security and economic situation, Mujahid claimed that “Afghanistan has witnessed relative peace and stability under a unified government, with improvements in security and clear signs of economic recovery.”

However, he acknowledged the sharp rise in malnutrition, with 90% of children under five living in food poverty, according to UNICEF. He attributed this crisis to “decades of conflict and two major invasions that destroyed Afghanistan’s infrastructure and economy,” also citing “the massive cuts in international aid” as a contributing factor.