Serajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban`s Interior Minister, on Thursday responded for the first time to Donald Trump`s recent remarks about U.S. forces returning to Bagram Air Base, calling Afghanistan`s long struggle against global powers "Afghans` trial in the battlefield."

According to AnsarPress, speaking in Kabul, Haqqani said: "We do not speak much; Afghans have proven themselves on the field of battle." He acknowledged that states sometimes violate each other`s sovereignty for geopolitical rivalry and strategic interests and that the issue of Bagram surfaces from time to time, but he stressed: "We have not bowed to the emperors of the world."

The interior minister also replied to recent threats from Pakistani officials, describing the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as "an internal matter of Pakistan." He said the solution to that crisis must be sought inside Pakistan and accused Islamabad of fomenting instability at the behest of others.

Issuing a stern warning, Haqqani added: "Anyone who seeks our unrest will face the same fate we dealt to the Soviet Union, NATO and the United States." He concluded: "We are not powerless in this respect; even if we lack tanks, artillery and aircraft, we possess firm resolve and determination."

Haqqani`s remarks - directed at both Trump and Pakistani officials - reflect the Taliban`s attempt to recast their position in regional and international affairs. Despite lacking advanced military hardware, the group repeatedly emphasizes resistance capacity and political-ideological will - a strategy that proved effective over two decades of conflict with foreign forces.

His statement comes as the Taliban face twofold pressure: rising tensions with Pakistan over the TTP`s presence in Afghanistan, and renewed U.S. military rhetoric about direct intervention in Afghanistan, even if only as a political threat. Nevertheless, the Taliban`s response appears less an expression of readiness for new conventional warfare than a move to consolidate internal legitimacy and project strength against perceptions of political weakness. The message is clear: no foreign power - whether the U.S. or Pakistan - can intervene in Afghanistan without paying a cost.