Daijiworld Media Network - London

London, Jan 24: UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday strongly criticised US President Donald Trump’s claim that NATO allies stayed away from the front lines in Afghanistan, calling the remarks “insulting” and “appalling” as anger spread across Britain and other allied nations.

Trump’s comments, made in an interview with Fox News aired on Thursday, appeared to overlook the sacrifices made by NATO partners, including the UK, during the Afghanistan conflict that followed the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. Trump suggested that allied nations sent troops but “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines”, triggering outrage across the political spectrum.

Responding in a video message, Starmer paid tribute to the 457 British service personnel who lost their lives in Afghanistan, along with many others who were seriously injured. He said Trump’s remarks had caused deep hurt to the families of those killed or wounded and added that if he had misspoken in such a manner, he would “certainly apologise”.

Following the 9/11 attacks, NATO invoked its collective defence clause for the first and only time, leading the UK and several European countries to join the US-led mission in Afghanistan. Soldiers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, Poland and other allies also lost their lives during the conflict.

Condemnation of Trump’s remarks came from across Europe. Poland’s Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said Polish veterans, 43 of whom died in Afghanistan, deserved respect. French armed forces minister Catherine Vautrin said 90 French soldiers were killed during operations alongside NATO allies and their sacrifice must be honoured.

In Britain, Defence Secretary John Healey described fallen troops as “heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation”, while armed forces minister Al Carns, a veteran of five tours in Afghanistan, called Trump’s comments “utterly ridiculous”. Opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the remarks were “complete nonsense” and could weaken NATO unity.

Even Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and a long-time Trump supporter, publicly disagreed with the US president, stating that British forces had fought bravely alongside American troops for two decades.

Families of fallen soldiers also expressed distress. Lucy Aldridge, whose 18-year-old son was killed in Afghanistan, said the comments were extremely upsetting. The Royal British Legion said the service and sacrifice of British troops could not be questioned.

Prince Harry, who served two frontline tours in Afghanistan, also responded, saying he had lost friends during his service and that thousands of lives had been changed forever. He stressed that the sacrifices made by military families deserved to be spoken about “truthfully and with respect”.

According to official UK figures, 405 of the 457 British personnel who died in Afghanistan were killed in hostile action. More than 150,000 UK armed forces personnel served in Afghanistan between September 2001 and August 2021, making Britain the second-largest contributor to the US-led mission.