British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described Trump’s speech as “insulting” and “tragic” and urged US President Donald Trump to apologize for falsely saying that troops from NATO countries outside of the US had escaped the front lines of the war in Afghanistan.
Trump said he was not convinced that NATO would support the United States, regardless of individual political preferences, and that it would spark anger and anxiety across the UK on Friday.
In an interview with Fox News on Thursday in Davos, Switzerland, Trump said of non-US troops, “We don’t need them at all, we haven’t asked for anything.” “You know, they say we sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that, and they did, a little bit back, a little bit off the front lines.”
In the year In October 2001, about a month after the September 11 attacks, the United States led an international coalition in Afghanistan that destroyed al-Qaeda and the group’s Taliban hosts, which had been using the country as a base. With the United States following the attacks on New York and Washington, it was the military of several countries, including NATO, whose joint defense duty was invoked for the first time.
UK sacrifice
The reaction to Trump’s comments in the UK was raw.
Starmer paid tribute to the 457 British servicemen who died and those who suffered serious life-long injuries.
“I will never forget their courage, bravery and sacrifice for their country,” Starmer said. “I find President Trump’s speech insulting and a true disgrace and I am not surprised that they have caused such harm to those who have been killed or injured, and indeed to their loved ones across the country.”
Prince Harry also weighed in on the “sacrifices” made by British soldiers during the war that “deserve to be told with truth and respect”.
“Thousands of lives have been changed forever,” said Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan with the British Army.
“Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without parents, and families were left to bear the cost.”
After 9/11, the then Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the UK would “stand shoulder to shoulder” with the US in response to the Al Qaeda attacks. British soldiers Until their withdrawal in 2014, they played a key role in many operations during the war in Afghanistan, especially in Helmand province in the south of the country. In the year US troops remain in Afghanistan until the Taliban return to power in 2021.
More than 150,000 British troops have served in Afghanistan in the years since the invasion, the largest contingent after the US.
Legislator Ben Obese JT, who served in Afghanistan as a captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, said: “It is sad to see the sacrifices of our country and our NATO allies being held so cheap by the President of the United States.”
Trump and Vietnam
The comments of a man who did not serve in the Vietnam War only fueled anger.
Stephen Stewart, the author of “Dangerous Soldier,” about his time hanging by British troops in Afghanistan, said: “It’s shocking that a man who allegedly avoided the draft of the Vietnam War would make such a disgraceful statement.
Trump accepted the time limit that allowed him to not serve in Vietnam due to bone spurs, but he could not remember on which leg, which led to accusations of subsidizing the draft.
Repetitive NATO bit
It was not the first time that Trump has belittled the commitment of NATO countries in the past few days. It is one of the main lines of attack as Denmark steps up its threat to seize semi-autonomous Greenland.
Trump’s accusation that NATO countries are not available when asked is contrary to reality.
Article 5 of NATO’s founding agreement was used only in response to the 9/11 attacks on the U.S. The text is a key collective defense clause that obliges all member states to assist another member whose sovereignty or territorial integrity may be threatened.
“We were there when America needed us after 9/11,” said former Danish army chief Martin Tam Andersen.
Denmark is a staunch US ally in Afghanistan, and 44 Danish soldiers were killed – the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces. Eight more people died in Iraq.
The latest controversy surrounding Trump comes as he faces criticism and pushback over his threats to Greenland over the weekend.
Trump has also threatened to impose tariffs on European countries that oppose Greenland’s bid to join, raising questions about NATO’s future. And while Trump backtracked after he said he had established a “framework” for Arctic security in talks with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, trans-Atlantic relations have fared well.
The recent comments are unlikely to improve their relationship.
Diane Dearney, whose son Ben Parkinson was fatally injured when a British Army Land Rover hit a mine in Afghanistan in 2006, called Trump’s latest comments “the ultimate insult” and called on Starmer to oppose Trump.
“The good one,” she said. “To all those who have fought for this country and our flag, stand up because it is beyond belief.”
Starmer picked her up on that, saying, “What I’m going to say to Diane, if I say the wrong word in that way or if I say those words, I’ll definitely apologize and I’ll apologize to her.”