Keir Starmer slams Donald Trump remarks on NATO troops as ‘appalling’

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has signalled that US President Donald Trump should apologise for his false assertion that troops from nonUS NATO countries avoided the front line during the Afghanistan war describing Trumps remarks as insulting and appalling Trump said that he wasnt sure NATO would be there to support the United States if and when requested provoking outrage and distress across the United Kingdom on Friday regardless of individuals political persuasionWeve never needed them we have never really asked anything of them Trump said of nonUS troops in an interview with Fox News in Davos Switzerland on Thursday You know theyll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that and they did they stayed a little back a little off the front linesIn October 2001 nearly a month after the September 11 attacks the US led an international coalition in Afghanistan to destroy alQaida which had used the country as its base and the groups Taliban hosts Alongside the US were troops from dozens of countries including from NATO whose mutualdefense mandate had been triggered for the first time after the attacks on New York and WashingtonUK sacrificeIn the UK the reaction to Trumps comments was raw Starmer paid tribute to the 457 British personnel who died and to those have been left with profound lifelong injuriesI will never forget their courage their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country Starmer said I consider President Trumps remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling and I am not surprised they have caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured and in fact across the countryWithout naming Trump Prince Harry weighed in to the furor too saying the sacrifices of British soldiers during the war deserve to be spoken about truthfully and with respectThousands of lives were changed forever said Harry who undertook two tours of duty in Afghanistan in the British Army and who lost friends there Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters Children were left without a parent Families are left carrying the costAfter 911 then Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the UK would stand shoulder to shoulder with the US in response to the alQaida attacks British troops took a key role in many operations during the Afghan war until their withdrawal in 2014 particularly in Helmand Province in the south of the country American troops remained in Afghanistan until their chaotic withdrawal in 2021 when the Taliban returned to powerMore than 150000 British troops served in Afghanistan in the years after the invasion the largest contingent after the American one Ben ObeseJecty a lawmaker who served in Afghanistan as a captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment said that it was sad to see our nations sacrifice and that of our NATO partners held so cheaply by the president of the United StatesTrump and VietnamAnger was further fuelled by the fact that the comments came from someone who didnt serve in the Vietnam War at a time when he was eligibleIts hugely ironic that someone who allegedly dodged the draft for the Vietnam War should make such a disgraceful statement said Stephen Stewart author of The Accidental Soldier an account of his time embedded with British troops in AfghanistanTrump received a deferment that allowed him to not serve in Vietnam because of bone spurs but he has been unable to remember in which foot leading to accusations of draft dodgingRepeated NATO slightsIt wasnt the first time that Trump downplayed the commitment of NATO countries over the past few days It has been one of his pivotal lines of attack as he escalated his threats to seize Greenland a semiautonomous territory belonging to Denmark Trumps allegation that NATO countries wont be there when requested stands in stark contrast to realityThe only time Article 5 of NATOs founding treaty has been used was in response to the 911 attacks on the US The article is the key mutual defense clause obliging all member countries to come to the aid of another member whose sovereignty or territorial integrity might be under threatWhen America needed us after 911 we were there former Danish platoon commander Martin Tamm Andersen said Denmark has been a stalwart ally of the US in Afghanistan with 44 Danish soldiers killed there the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces Eight more died in Iraq The latest controversy surrounding Trump comes at the end of a week when he has faced criticism and pushback for his threats to GreenlandTrump also threatened to slap tariffs on European nations opposed to his ambitions to annex Greenland which raised questions over the future of NATO And though Trump backed down after a meeting with NATO SecretaryGeneral Mark Rutte in which he said they formed the framework for a deal over Arctic security transAtlantic relations have taken a hitHis latest comments are unlikely to improve relations Diane Dernie whose son Ben Parkinson suffered horrific injuries when a British Army Land Rover hit a mine in Afghanistan in 2006 said that Trumps latest comments were the ultimate insult and called on Starmer to stand up to Trump over themCall him out she said Make a stand for those who fought for this country and for our flag because its just beyond belief Taking her up on that Starmer said what I say to Diane is if I had misspoken in that way or said those words I would certainly apologise and Id apologise to herThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever