From claiming that troops from the UK and other NATO allies “stayed a little back” from the frontlines during the “war on terror” in Afghanistan after 9/11, US President Donald Trump on Saturday went straight for an olive branch as UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had termed his remark “appalling”.
Now hailing the role of British soldiers in Afghanistan, Trump called them “among the greatest of all warriors” in a post on Truth Social.
It was during an interview with Fox News earlier this week that Trump said troops from NATO allies “avoided” the frontline in Afghanistan, even though 457 British soldiers were killed in the post-9/11 conflict.
In his post now, Trump wrote: “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!”
“In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken,” he added.
He called the UK military “second to none (except for the U.S.A.!)”, finishing with: “We love you all, and always will!”
What Trump said before u-turn
His claim about troops “staying a little back” was only his latest barb at European allies. “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan,” Trump had said, referring to NATO allies, “And they did; they stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines.”
Following the 9/11 attacks, the UK and other allies joined the US from 2001 in Afghanistan after it invoked NATO’s collective security clause.
Trump had questioned whether NATO would be there if the US ever needed them. “We have never really asked anything of them.” he’d said.
This sparked outrage in Britain, with several ministers criticising Trump.
“The President was wrong to diminish the role of NATO troops, including British forces, in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks on the US,” PM Starmer’s spokesperson said. “We are incredibly proud of our armed forces and their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten,” he reportedly said.
Defence Minister John Healey highlighted that NATO’s Article 5 has only been triggered once — at the call of the US. The troops who died were “heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation”, he added.
NATO’s Article 5 states that an armed attack against one NATO member shall be considered an attack against them all.
Trump had also threatened to slap tariffs on European nations until a deal is reached for the US to “purchase” Greenland, which also raised questions over the future of NATO. Though Trump backed down after a meeting with NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte in which he said they formed the “framework” for a deal over Arctic security, US-Europe relations have taken a hit.
(inputs from AFP)
