Trump Criticized for Saying NATO Troops Avoided Front Lines in Afghanistan

Recent comments by U.S. President Donald Trump about NATO’s role in the Afghanistan war have drawn sharp criticism from NATO member countries.

Trump said that although NATO sent troops to Afghanistan in support of the U.S., those soldiers “did not fight on the front lines.”

According to a Reuters report, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s remarks “insulting and appalling,” adding that such comments are painful for families who lost loved ones in the war.

In response to a question about whether Trump should apologize, Starmer said: “If I had misspoken in that way or said those words, I would certainly apologise.”

Dutch Foreign Ministry official David van Weel also condemned Trump’s comments, calling them “false and disrespectful.”

Britain’s Prince Harry, who served in Afghanistan, said in response: “Those sacrifices deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respect.”

A retired Polish general, who served in both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, urged Trump to apologize, saying the former president “crossed a red line.”

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk also recalled the deaths of his country’s soldiers in Afghanistan and said that on December 22, 2011, while serving as defense minister, he attended the farewell ceremony for five fallen Polish soldiers.

He added that American soldiers also expressed their sympathy during the ceremony and said: “ Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.”

During the war in Afghanistan, 2,460 U.S. soldiers, 457 British troops, 150 Canadians, 90 French soldiers, and 44 Danish soldiers were killed. In addition, Germany, Italy, and other NATO member states also suffered troop losses.

The U.S. and NATO forces invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks under the banner of “fighting terrorism and drugs, and nation-building.” After two decades of military presence, the war came to an end with the return of the Islamic Emirate to power.

Roughly 66,000 Afghan security forces from the former government and over 51,000 civilians were killed during the conflict.