President Donald Trump on Saturday issued public praise for British soldiers who fought in Afghanistan, appearing to walk back earlier comments that drew sharp criticism from NATO allies.
In an interview Thursday, Trump claimed that non-American NATO forces stayed off the “front lines” during the war in Afghanistan and said the United States “never needed” the alliance. The remarks sparked widespread condemnation across Europe. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the comments “insulting and frankly appalling.”
Speaking to Fox Business, Trump said, “We have never really asked anything of them. They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, and they did — but they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
On Saturday, Trump struck a different tone in a post on Truth Social, writing that the “great and very brave soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America.” While he did not directly apologize for his earlier statements, he described British troops — and those seriously wounded in the conflict — as “among the greatest of all warriors.”
“The U.K. military, with tremendous heart and soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!),” Trump wrote. “We love you all, and always will.”
Of the 3,621 coalition service members killed during the Afghanistan war, about 1,160 were from U.S. allies, including 457 British personnel.
Downing Street said Starmer raised the issue directly with Trump in a phone call Saturday, emphasizing the shared sacrifices of British and American forces.
“The Prime Minister spoke of the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home,” a spokesperson said. “We must never forget their sacrifice.”
Following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the United States led an international coalition in Afghanistan aimed at dismantling Al Qaeda and removing the Taliban from power. NATO invoked Article 5 — its collective defense clause — for the first and only time in its history.
