Trump lavishes praise on UK troops amid anger over his Afghanistan claims

Trump’s praise comes aft UK premier curate called the US leader’s remarks ‘insulting’ and suggested helium apologise.

United States President Donald Trump has praised UK soldiers a time aft receiving a uncommon rebuke from United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer implicit comments helium made astir European troops staying “a small disconnected the beforehand lines” successful the warfare successful Afghanistan.

In an evident bid to easiness tensions with Starmer, Trump took to societal media connected Saturday to admit that 457 UK soldiers had died successful Afghanistan, with galore others severely wounded, describing them arsenic being “among the top of each warriors”.

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“The GREAT and precise BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom volition ever beryllium with the United States of America!” helium wrote. “It’s a enslaved excessively beardown to ever beryllium broken.”

Starmer said connected Friday that Trump’s comments to US broadcaster Fox News connected the margins of the World Economic Forum successful Davos, Switzerland, were “insulting and, frankly, appalling”.

Asked whether helium would request an apology from Trump, Starmer said, “If I had misspoken successful that mode oregon said those words, I would surely apologise.”

While Trump’s effect stopped abbreviated of an apology, his olive subdivision came aft helium spoke to the UK person earlier connected Saturday, according to a connection from Starmer’s office.

“The premier curate raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought broadside by broadside successful Afghanistan, galore of whom ne'er returned home,” the connection said. “We indispensable ne'er hide their sacrifice, helium said.”

King Charles’s younger son, Prince Harry, who served 2 tours successful Afghanistan, besides weighed successful connected Friday, saying the “sacrifices” of UK soldiers during the warfare “deserve to beryllium spoken astir truthfully and with respect”.

The UK was not the lone NATO state to explicit choler astatine Trump’s remarks. Other European leaders, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and French President Emmanuel Macron, reacted sharply connected Saturday.

Alongside the US and UK forces were troops from dozens of countries, including from NATO, whose collective information clause, Article 5, had been triggered for the archetypal clip aft the attacks connected New York and Washington successful September 2001.

More than 150 Canadians were killed successful Afghanistan, on with 90 French work unit and dozens from Germany, Italy, Denmark and different countries.

The US reportedly mislaid much than 2,400 soldiers.

At slightest 46,319 Afghan civilians died arsenic a nonstop effect of the 2001 invasion, according to a 2021 estimation by Brown University’s Costs of War project.