Allies outraged by Trump remarks on NATO’s role in Afghanistan

DID Press: Recent comments by US President Donald Trump questioning NATO’s role in the Afghanistan war have sparked a strong backlash from American allies, with former officials and military figures describing the remarks as disrespectful to the victims of one of the deadliest conflicts of the past two decades.

Speaking to Fox News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump repeated his long-standing criticism of NATO, saying he was not confident the alliance would support the United States if needed.

Referring directly to the war in Afghanistan, Trump said: “They say they sent some troops to Afghanistan … and that’s true, but they stayed a little back, a little away from the front lines.”

He added: “We never needed them.”

NATO’s Article 5 — the collective defence clause — was activated for the first time in the alliance’s history following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, at Washington’s request, leading to the launch of the Afghanistan war. The conflict lasted nearly 20 years and resulted in thousands of coalition casualties. According to official figures, the United States lost 2,461 military personnel. Britain suffered the second-highest toll with 457 deaths, while other NATO members lost a combined 1,160 troops — about one-third of total coalition fatalities.

In Britain, criticism focused on the role of British forces on the front lines of the conflict.

Emily Thornberry, chair of the UK House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, said the remarks were “an insult to the families of those who lost their lives in Afghanistan and go far beyond a simple mistake.”

Speaking on the BBC’s Question Time programme, she added: “How dare he say we were not on the front lines? We were always there alongside the Americans whenever they asked us to be.”

Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats, wrote on social media: “Trump dodged military service five times. How dare he question the sacrifice of those who fought in Afghanistan?”

Ben Obese-Jecty, a Conservative lawmaker and former British army officer who served in Afghanistan, said: “Seeing the sacrifices of our forces and our NATO partners in Afghanistan so casually dismissed is deeply upsetting.”

Referring to fighting in Sangin district of Helmand province, he added: “I witnessed appalling British casualties in Sangin, just as U.S. Marines suffered heavy losses there the following year. I do not believe American service members share their president’s view of Afghanistan.”