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U.S. President Donald Trump heaped praise Saturday (January 25, 2026) connected British soldiers who fought successful Afghanistan, successful a station connected societal media that represented a partial reversal of comments helium made this week that drew a cascade of disapproval successful the U.K., peculiarly from families of those killed and earnestly injured successful the conflict.
In the aftermath of a speech earlier with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Mr. Trump said connected Truth Social that the “great and precise brave soldiers of the United Kingdom volition ever beryllium with the United States of America.” He described the 457 British servicemen and women who died successful Afghanistan and those that were severely injured, arsenic “among the top of each warriors.”
Mr. Trump added that the enslaved betwixt the 2 countries' militaries is “too beardown to ever beryllium broken” and that the U.K. “with tremendous bosom and soul, is 2nd to nary (except for the USA)."
Mr. Trump's comments travel an interrogation with Fox Business Network connected Thursday (January 22, 2026) successful Davos, Switzerland, erstwhile helium said helium wasn't definite the different 31 nations successful NATO would beryllium determination to enactment the United States if and erstwhile requested and that troops from those countries stayed "a small disconnected the beforehand lines.”
Mr. Trump did not apologise straight for those comments, nor retract them, arsenic PM Starmer had suggested successful his archetypal effect connected Friday (January 23, 2026) erstwhile helium described the words of the president arsenic “insulting and frankly appalling.” Starmer's bureau successful No 10 Downing Street said the contented was raised successful a speech betwixt the brace connected Saturday (January 24, 2026) , successful which different topics were discussed, including the warfare successful Ukraine and information successful the Arctic region.
“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," Downing Street said successful a statement. “We indispensable ne'er hide their sacrifice.”
Mr. Trump's presumption arsenic expressed successful the Fox Business interview stands astatine likelihood with the world that successful October 2001, astir a period aft the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. led an planetary conjugation successful Afghanistan to destruct al-Qaida, which had utilized the state arsenic its base, and the group's Taliban hosts.
Alongside the U.S. were troops from dozens of countries, including from NATO, whose mutual-defenxe mandate had been triggered for the archetypal clip aft the attacks connected New York and Washington.
More than 150,000 British troops served successful Afghanistan successful the years aft the invasion, the largest contingent aft the American one.
The Italian and French governments besides expressed their disapproval astatine Mr. Trump's comments, with some describing them arsenic “unacceptable.”
