Donald Trump ‘wrong’ about Nato in Afghanistan, says Downing Street
The US president made his comments in an interview with Fox News in which he reiterated his suggestion that Nato would not support America if asked.
Donald Trump was “wrong” to diminish the role of Nato and British troops in Afghanistan, Downing Street has said after the US president claimed allies stayed away from the front line in the conflict.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman condemned Mr Trump’s remarks, saying UK forces had served alongside the US and Nato in “sustained combat operations”.
Pointing to the 457 British deaths in Afghanistan and the “many hundreds” more who were wounded, he added: “We are incredibly proud of our armed forces and their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten.”
Mr Trump made his comments in an interview with Fox News in which he reiterated his suggestion that Nato would not support America if asked.
He said: “We’ve never needed them.
“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
His remarks drew condemnation from across the political spectrum, with critics pointing to both the number of UK deaths in Afghanistan and highlighting Mr Trump’s avoidance of military service in Vietnam.
The only time Nato’s mutual defence arrangement has been invoked was after the September 11 terrorist attack on the US in 2001, when allies aided American forces in response to the atrocities by al Qaida.
Defence minister and former commando Al Carns, who served five tours in Afghanistan and was awarded the Military Cross for gallantry, said Mr Trump’s comments were “ridiculous”.
The former Royal Marines colonel, without referring to Mr Trump by name, said: “On Afghanistan, frankly, this is utterly ridiculous. Many courageous and honourable service personnel from many nations fought on the front line. Many fought way beyond it.
“I served five tours in Afghanistan, many alongside my American colleagues. We shed blood, sweat and tears together. Not everybody came home.
“These are bonds, I think, forged in fire, protecting the US, our shared interests, but actually protecting democracy overall.”
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Mr Trump’s comments were “complete nonsense” which could weaken the Nato alliance.
She said: “I spoke to parents of young men who had lost their lives in Afghanistan and I think it is a disgrace to denigrate their memory like that.”
She said there was “too much careless talk from President Trump” and “we mustn’t have these sort of throwaway comments that actually weaken the strong relationship between those countries in the alliance”.
Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson suffered horrific injuries when an Army Land Rover hit a mine near Musa Qala in 2006, said the US president’s comments were “the ultimate insult” and called on Sir Keir Starmer to stand up to Mr Trump over them.
Paratrooper Mr Parkinson, from Doncaster, is widely viewed as the most severely injured British soldier to have survived the war.
The blast left the former lance bombardier in 7 Para RHA with both legs amputated, a twisted spine and brain damage.
His mother Mrs Dernie said: “I can assure you, the Taliban didn’t plant IEDs (improvised explosive devices) miles and miles back from the front line.”
She said Sir Keir has “got to stand up for his own armed forces and he’s got to absolutely refute what Donald Trump said”.
“Call him out,” she said.
“Make a stand for those who fought for this country and for our flag, because it’s just beyond belief.
“Come and look at us, the life that Ben leads – 19-and-a-half years on, still fighting for his care, still fighting for him to have a decent life, recovering from a recent operation.
“To hear this man say: ‘Oh, well, you just fannied about behind the front lines’… It’s the ultimate insult.”
Ian Sadler, whose son, Trooper Jack Sadler, 21, was killed in Afghanistan in 2007, while serving with the 4/73 Special Observation Battery, Brigade Reconnaissance Force, said: “Trump is just ill advised by his military aides and the people around him.
“Some of the Nato troops were not on the front line in the same way the British and US troops were, that’s true.”
But Mr Sadler, from Exeter, Devon, added: “The British certainly were in the hot spots, they were on the front line, 457 of them were lost and there was probably three times as many seriously injured as deaths.”
Robert Dicketts, whose son Oliver Dicketts, 27, was killed while serving with the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan in 2006, said: “When I read it, I thought, ‘What a bloody cheek!’.
“I think my thoughts about Donald Trump are probably unprintable.
“To put it politely, Donald Trump’s knowledge of history is lacking considerably.”
The row further tests the transatlantic relationship, which has come under intense strain following Mr Trump’s threats to slap tariffs on European nations opposed to his ambitions to annex Greenland.
He later 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, announcing further import taxes would no longer be imposed.
The UK suffered the second highest number of military deaths – 457 – in the Afghanistan conflict, behind the US, which saw 2,461 deaths.
In total, America’s allies suffered 1,160 deaths in the conflict, around a third of the total coalition deaths.
Mr Trump has previously been criticised for avoiding being conscripted to fight in Vietnam thanks to being diagnosed with bone spurs in his heels – a claim that has been subject to significant doubt.
