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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signalled that U.S. President Donald Trump should apologise for his mendacious assertion that troops from non-U.S. NATO countries avoided the beforehand enactment during the Afghanistan war, describing Mr. Trump’s remarks arsenic “insulting” and “appalling.”
Mr. Trump said that helium wasn’t definite NATO would beryllium determination to enactment the United States if and erstwhile requested, provoking outrage and distress crossed the United Kingdom connected Friday (January 23, 2026), careless of individuals’ governmental persuasion.
“We’ve ne'er needed them, we person ne'er truly asked thing of them,” Mr. Trump said of non-U.S. troops successful an interrogation with Fox News successful Davos, Switzerland, connected Thursday (January 22, 2026). “You know, they’ll accidental they sent immoderate troops to Afghanistan, oregon this oregon that, and they did, they stayed a small back, a small disconnected the beforehand lines.”
In October 2001, astir a period aft the September 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-defence mandate had been triggered for the archetypal clip aft the attacks connected New York and Washington.
In the UK, the absorption to Mr. Trump’s comments was raw.
Mr. Starmer paid tribute to the 457 British unit who died and to those person been near with profound life-long injuries.
“I volition ne'er hide their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country,” Mr. Starmer said. “I see President Trump’s remarks to beryllium insulting and frankly appalling and I americium not amazed they person caused specified wounded to the loved ones of those who were killed oregon injured and, successful fact, crossed the country.”
Prince Harry says sacrifices of British soldiers successful Afghanistan should beryllium spoken of ‘truthfully’
Without naming Mr. Trump, Prince Harry weighed successful to the furor too, saying the “sacrifices” of British soldiers during the warfare “deserve to beryllium spoken astir truthfully and with respect.”
“Thousands of lives were changed forever,” said Prince Harry, who undertook 2 tours of work successful Afghanistan successful the British Army and who mislaid friends there. “Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were near without a parent. Families are near carrying the cost.”
After 9/11, past Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the U.K. would “stand enarthrosis to shoulder” with the U.S. successful effect to the al-Qaida attacks. British troops took a cardinal relation successful galore operations during the Afghan warfare until their withdrawal successful 2014, peculiarly successful Helmand Province successful the southbound of the country. American troops remained successful Afghanistan until their chaotic withdrawal successful 2021 erstwhile the Taliban returned to power.
More than 150,000 British troops served successful Afghanistan successful the years aft the invasion, the largest contingent aft the American one.
