By Anietie Anii-Bassey
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on U.S. President Donald Trump to issue an apology after the American leader falsely suggested that NATO allies, aside from the United States, avoided frontline combat during the war in Afghanistan, remarks that provoked anger and deep offense across the United Kingdom.
Trump made the comments during an interview in Davos, Switzerland, where he cast doubt on whether NATO countries would come to Washington’s aid if called upon.
Speaking to Fox News, he said he was unsure the alliance would back the United States in a future crisis and claimed that while allied nations had sent troops to Afghanistan, they had largely remained behind the lines.
The remarks struck a nerve in Britain, where memories of the long and costly Afghan campaign remain raw. Starmer responded forcefully, honoring the 457 British service members who lost their lives in the conflict and accusing Trump of belittling the sacrifices made by allied forces.
“I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country,” Starmer said. “I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling, and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and, in fact, across the country.”
The U.S.-led invasion of Afghanistan began in October 2001, less than a month after the Sept. 11 attacks, with the aim of dismantling al-Qaida and overthrowing the Taliban government that had sheltered the group.
The operation quickly became a broad international effort involving dozens of countries. NATO, invoking its collective-defense clause for the first time in its history after the attacks on New York and Washington, played a central role in the years that followed.
British leaders at the time pledged unwavering support to Washington. Then–Prime Minister Tony Blair famously vowed that Britain would “stand shoulder to shoulder” with the United States, and British troops soon became deeply involved in combat operations, particularly in Helmand Province in southern Afghanistan.
The United Kingdom formally ended its combat mission in 2014, though American forces remained until the tumultuous withdrawal in 2021 that saw the Taliban return to power.
Over the course of the conflict, more than 150,000 British troops served in Afghanistan, making the United Kingdom the largest contributor after the United States. The human cost was heavy, and veterans and lawmakers who fought there reacted angrily to Trump’s comments.
Ben Obese-Jecty, now a member of Parliament who served as a captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, said it was “sad to see our nation’s sacrifice, and that of our NATO partners, held so cheaply by the president of the United States.”
Criticism intensified because the remarks came from a president who did not serve during the Vietnam War despite being eligible for the draft.
Trump received a medical deferment for bone spurs, though he has previously been unable to recall which foot was affected, a detail that has long fueled accusations from critics that he avoided military service.
Stephen Stewart, author of “The Accidental Soldier,” who embedded with British troops in Afghanistan, described Trump’s comments as especially galling. “It’s hugely ironic that someone who allegedly dodged the draft for the Vietnam War should make such a disgraceful statement,” he said.
Trump’s comments also followed a series of recent jabs at NATO allies as he escalated a dispute over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark.
In recent days he has questioned the reliability of alliance members while floating the possibility of using tariffs or other pressure tactics against European countries opposed to his ambitions regarding the Arctic region.
Those assertions clash with NATO’s historical record. The alliance’s cornerstone Article 5 — which obliges all members to defend any ally under attack — has been invoked only once, and it was in response to the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States. Allied aircraft patrolled American airspace in the immediate aftermath, and NATO forces later deployed extensively in Afghanistan.
“When America needed us after 9/11 we were there,” said Martin Tamm Andersen, a former Danish platoon commander. Denmark was among Washington’s most steadfast partners during the Afghan war, suffering 44 military deaths there — the highest per capita toll among coalition nations — along with eight more fatalities in Iraq.
The controversy arrives at the end of a week in which Trump has already faced criticism from European leaders over his rhetoric toward Greenland and threats to impose tariffs on countries resisting U.S. pressure.
Although Trump later softened his stance after meeting NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, saying they had outlined a “framework” for cooperation on Arctic security, diplomats acknowledged that the episode strained trans-Atlantic relations.
Families of fallen British soldiers added their voices to the backlash. Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson was grievously wounded in 2006 when a British Army vehicle struck a land mine in Afghanistan, called Trump’s remarks “the ultimate insult” and urged Starmer to confront the U.S. president directly.
“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.”
Starmer said he shared that sentiment and insisted he would expect contrition if he had made similar remarks himself. Addressing Dernie directly, the prime minister said, “I’ve made my position clear, and what I say to Diane is, if I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologize — and I’d apologize to her.”
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