UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has strongly condemned President Donald Trump’s claim that NATO allies avoided frontline combat in Afghanistan, describing the remarks as “insulting” and “appalling” as outrage spread across Britain and beyond.
In an interview with Fox News aired on Thursday, Trump suggested that allied forces sent to Afghanistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks remained “a little back, a little off the front lines,” appearing to overlook the sacrifices made by NATO partners.
The comments sparked swift backlash in the UK, where 457 British service personnel lost their lives during the conflict.
“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump said. “And they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
Following the 9/11 attacks, NATO invoked its collective defence clause—Article 5—for the first and only time, leading the UK and several European allies to join the US-led military campaign in Afghanistan. Soldiers from countries including Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, and Poland were killed while serving alongside American forces.
In a video message, Starmer paid tribute to fallen British troops and expressed outrage at Trump’s remarks.
“Let me start by paying tribute to the 457 members of our armed services who lost their lives in Afghanistan,” he said. “Many others were injured, some with life-changing injuries. President Trump’s comments are insulting and frankly appalling, and it is no surprise they have caused deep hurt to the families of those who served.”
Starmer added that if he had misspoken in such a way, he “would certainly apologise.”
The White House dismissed the criticism, defending the US president. “President Trump is absolutely right — the United States has done more for NATO than all other alliance members combined,” said White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers in a statement to AFP.
Condemnation also came from across Europe. Poland’s Defence Minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, said veterans deserved respect, noting that 43 Polish soldiers died in Afghanistan. France’s Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin said 90 French troops were killed in operations alongside NATO allies, adding: “We remember their sacrifice, which commands respect.”
In Britain, Defence Secretary John Healey described fallen soldiers 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 remarks “utterly ridiculous.”
Opposition Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the comments were “complete nonsense” that risked undermining NATO unity. Even Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and a longtime Trump supporter, publicly rebuked the US president.
“Donald Trump is wrong,” Farage wrote on X. “For 20 years our armed forces fought bravely alongside America’s in Afghanistan.”
The remarks also drew emotional responses from families of the fallen. Lucy Aldridge, whose son William was killed at age 18 in Afghanistan, told The Mirror the comments were “extremely upsetting.” Mark Atkinson, director general of the Royal British Legion, said the service and sacrifice of British troops “cannot be called into question.”
Prince Harry, who served two frontline tours in Afghanistan with the Army Air Corps, also weighed in, highlighting the human cost of the war.
“I served there. I lost friends there,” he said. “Thousands of lives were changed forever. Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect.”
According to official UK figures, 405 of the 457 British personnel killed in Afghanistan died as a result of hostile action. The United States lost more than 2,400 troops during the conflict.
More than 150,000 UK service members served in Afghanistan between September 2001 and August 2021, making Britain the second-largest contributor to the US-led mission, the Ministry of Defence said.
About the Author
