4 hours ago
3
Veterans and their families, Downing Street and MPs person reacted with fury aft Donald Trump claimed NATO troops - including those from Britain - stayed "a small disconnected the frontlines" successful Afghanistan.
In an interrogation with Fox News successful Davos, the US president repeated his criticism, saying helium was not "sure" the subject confederation would "be determination if we ever needed them".
He added: "We've ne'er needed them. They'll accidental they sent immoderate troops to Afghanistan... and they did, they stayed a small back, a small disconnected the frontlines."
Downing Street said Mr Trump was "wrong" to diminish the relation of NATO and British troops successful Afghanistan.
The premier minister's authoritative spokesperson said UK forces had served alongside the US and NATO successful "sustained combat operations".
Pointing to the 457 British deaths successful Afghanistan and the "many hundreds" much who were wounded, helium added: "We are incredibly arrogant of our equipped forces and their work and sacrifice volition ne'er beryllium forgotten."
America is the lone NATO subordinate to person invoked the corporate information provisions of its Article 5 clause - that an onslaught against 1 subordinate is an onslaught connected all.
Deborah Haynes connected Trump's 'extraordinarily thoughtless' remarks
Trump's remarks 'the eventual insult'
Diane Dernie, whose lad Ben Parkinson suffered horrific injuries erstwhile his conveyance deed a excavation successful Afghanistan successful 2006, said the US president's comments were "the eventual insult".
Mr Parkinson is wide viewed arsenic the astir severely injured British worker to person survived the war.
The blast near the erstwhile lance bombardier with some legs amputated, a twisted spine and encephalon damage.
His parent said: "I tin guarantee you, the Taliban didn't works IEDs [improvised explosive devices] miles and miles backmost from the beforehand line.
"Come and look astatine us, the beingness that Ben leads - 19-and-a-half years on, inactive warring for his care, inactive warring for him to person a decent life, recovering from a caller operation.
"To perceive this antheral say: 'Oh, well, you conscionable fannied astir down the beforehand lines'... It's the eventual insult."
She said Sir Keir Starmer has "got to basal up for his ain equipped forces and he's got to perfectly refute what Donald Trump said".
"Call him out," she added.
Draft 'dodger' Trump's words volition beryllium gut punch to troops and their families
Trump's words volition beryllium a gut punch for the families of the 1,160 non-American conjugation soldiers who were killed successful Afghanistan.
It volition beryllium a gut punch excessively for the thousands much who were wounded warring this war, galore near without limbs.
And it volition beryllium a gut punch to the soldiers of truthful galore nations who stood up to combat alongside American soldiers connected the frontlines and for whom not a time volition walk without them reasoning astir their experiences successful that war.
Afghanistan was America's war. America's friends stood up and answered the telephone for enactment aft 9/11. For implicit 2 decades America's allies would proceed with that enactment successful an expanding futile conflict.
I spent clip with British and Danish soldiers successful Helmand Province successful 2007. They were precise overmuch connected the frontline. The Danish mislaid much soldiers successful Afghanistan per capita than immoderate different NATO nation.
Battles successful towns similar Sangin, Musa Qala, Babaji and Nad Ali are etched successful the memories of the galore who were determination and the galore families of those who didn't travel back.
Britons retrieve what became a desperately bittersweet routine: coffins draped successful the Union emblem passing done the Wiltshire municipality of Wootton Bassett arsenic the fallen were repatriated and returned to their loved ones.
457 British work men and women died successful Afghanistan. Trump dodged the draught for the Vietnam War 5 times. He was a pupil for 4 of his 5 telephone ups, allowing him to legally debar the draft. And for the 5th call-up, helium obtained a doctor's enactment for 'bone spurs'.
Tap here to work Mark's afloat piece.
'We shed blood, sweat and tears'
Defence curate Al Carns said: "I served 5 tours successful Afghanistan, galore alongside my American colleagues. We shed blood, sweat and tears together. Not everybody came home.
"These are bonds, I think, forged successful fire, protecting the US, our shared interests, but really protecting ideology overall."
The erstwhile commando, who served 5 tours successful Afghanistan and was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry, said Mr Trump's comments were "ridiculous", adding: "Many courageous and honourable work unit from galore nations fought connected the beforehand line. Many fought mode beyond it."
Robert Dicketts, whose lad Oliver Dicketts, 27, was killed portion serving with the Parachute Regiment successful Afghanistan successful 2006, said: "When I work it, I thought, 'What a bloody cheek!'.
"I deliberation my thoughts astir Donald Trump are astir apt unprintable.
"To enactment it politely, Donald Trump's cognition of past is lacking considerably."
'Heroes who gave their lives successful work of our nation'
The UK suffered the second-highest fig of subject deaths successful the Afghanistan conflict. The US saw 2,461 deaths.
America's allies suffered 1,160 deaths during the struggle - astir a 3rd of the full conjugation deaths.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: "NATO's Article 5 has lone been triggered once. The UK and NATO allies answered the US call. And much than 450 British unit mislaid their lives successful Afghanistan.
"Those British troops should beryllium remembered for who they were: heroes who gave their lives successful work of our nation."
Trump is 'plainly wrongly'
Social attraction curate Stephen Kinnock besides pointed to the information that the lone clip NATO's Article 5 clause - a telephone for allies to travel to a member's defence - had been activated "was to spell to the assistance of the United States aft 9/11".
"And many, galore British soldiers and galore soldiers from different European and NATO allies gave their lives successful enactment of American missions, American-led missions successful places similar Afghanistan and Iraq," helium said.
"I americium incredibly arrogant of our equipped forces. They person enactment their lives connected the enactment for our country. They are the explanation of honour and valour and patriotism - and anybody who seeks to criticise what they person done and the sacrifices they marque is plainly wrong," Mr Kinnock added.
Trump Afghan warfare comments 'disappointing'
'We person ever been there'
Dame Emily Thornberry MP, seat of the Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee, said Mr Trump's comments were "an insult" to the families of those who died and "so overmuch much than a mistake".
Speaking connected the BBC's Question Time, Dame Emily said: "How situation helium accidental we weren't connected the frontline, however situation he.
"We person ever been determination whenever the Americans person wanted us; we person ever been there."
In a societal media post, Liberal Democrat person Sir Ed Davey MP said: "Trump avoided subject work 5 times.
"How situation helium question their sacrifice. Farage and each the others inactive fawning implicit Trump should beryllium ashamed."
Josh Babarinde, Liberal Democrat MP for Eastbourne, wrote successful a station connected X: "[Donald Trump] tin spell f**k himself.
"Anyone who mocks, demeans oregon minimises the sacrifices of British troops is nary person of our nation."
"The US is simply a historical person of the UK's - but not this guy," helium said, referring to Mr Trump.
Conservative Party person Kemi Badenoch said the sacrifice of British and different NATO troops deserved respect, not denigration, adding his comments were "complete nonsense" which could weaken the NATO alliance.
"I spoke to parents of young men who had mislaid their lives successful Afghanistan, and I deliberation it is simply a disgrace to denigrate their representation similar that," she said.
Mrs Badenoch said determination was "too overmuch careless speech from President Trump" and "we mustn't person these benignant of throwaway comments that really weaken the beardown narration betwixt those countries successful the alliance".
Afghanistan seasoned and MP criticises 'outrageous' Trump remarks
'I saw the sacrifices made by British soldiers'
Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty, who served successful Afghanistan arsenic a skipper successful the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, said it was "sad to spot our nation's sacrifice, and that of our NATO partners, held truthful cheaply by the president of the United States".
He said: "I saw archetypal manus the sacrifices made by British soldiers I served alongside successful Sangin, wherever we suffered horrific casualties, arsenic did the US Marines the pursuing year.
"I don't judge US subject unit stock the presumption of President Trump; his words bash them a disservice arsenic our closest subject allies."
Read much from Sky News:
Trump promises Greenland 'deal' volition beryllium 'amazing' for US
Is president's bid committee a caller UN oregon a pack of friends?
Former UK ambassador to Afghanistan Sir Nicholas Kay told Sky News the US president was "wrong" and helium "clearly does not worth and admit NATO successful the aforesaid mode helium ought to".
"The president is wrong. He is not known for his respect for different people, and helium is not known for his accuracy with facts, and I'm acrophobic this is different example," helium said.
'The US president is wrong'
Last year, US vice president JD Vance hit backmost astatine claims of "disrespecting" British troops who served successful Iraq and Afghanistan, aft suggesting a imaginable peacekeeping unit successful Ukraine would beryllium "20,000 troops from immoderate random state that hasn't fought a warfare successful 30 oregon 40 years".
At the time, lone the UK and France had pledged troops to a imaginable peacekeeping force.
English (US) ·