(AFP) – US President Donald Trump on Saturday appeared to be partially walking back remarks on the role of non-US NATO troops in Afghanistan amid growing outrage from European allies. But Trump’s claim in a Fox News interview that NATO sent “some troops” but “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” brought fresh condemnation Saturday.
He offered an olive branch to Britain after an angry response to his comments earlier in the week, praising British soldiers. On Saturday, a day after British Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned his remarks as “appalling,” he appeared to have changed position — at least as far as British troops were concerned. “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken.” As Trump released his latest statement, in London a Downing Street spokesperson said Starmer had discussed the issue during a call with Trump on Saturday.
“The Prime Minister raised the brave and heroic British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home,” said a Downing Street spokesperson. “We must never forget their sacrifice.”
But Britain was not the only NATO ally to express anger at Trump’s earlier remarks, as other European leaders reacted sharply Saturday, recalling the sacrifices their soldiers had made. Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her government’s astonishment at Trump’s comments, stating that during the nearly 20 years of NATO operations in Afghanistan, “our nation paid a cost that is beyond dispute: 53 Italian soldiers killed and more than 700 wounded.”
“For this reason, statements that downplay the contribution of NATO countries in Afghanistan are unacceptable, especially when they come from an allied Nation,” she added.
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk recalled attending a farewell ceremony for five fallen Polish soldiers in Afghanistan in 2011. “The American officers who accompanied me then told me that America would never forget the Polish heroes,” he wrote in a post on X. “Perhaps they will remind President Trump of that fact.”
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said Saturday: “These unacceptable comments are not worthy of response. It is to the families of fallen soldiers that the Head of State wishes to offer comfort and reiterate the nation’s gratitude.” Some 90 French soldiers died in Afghanistan, according to the French government.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said Saturday on Facebook: “I fully understand that Danish veterans have said no words can describe how much this hurts. It is unacceptable that the American president questions the commitment of allied soldiers in Afghanistan,” she added. “Denmark is one of the NATO countries that has suffered the highest losses per capita,” the Danish prime minister pointed out.
The country’s population was about 5.4 million in 2003 and, according to the Danish news agency Ritzau, around 12,000 Danish soldiers and civilians were sent to Afghanistan over the years. Danish veterans have called for a silent march in Copenhagen on January 31 to protest Trump’s remarks.
On Friday, Starmer had said: “I consider President Trump’s remarks to be insulting and frankly, appalling, and I’m not surprised they’ve caused such hurt to the loved ones of those who were killed or injured.” The White House had initially rejected Starmer’s comments. “President Trump is absolutely right — the United States of America has done more for NATO than any other country in the alliance has done combined,” Taylor Rogers, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement sent to AFP.
Following the 9/11 attacks, Britain and a number of other allies joined the United States from 2001 in Afghanistan after Washington — for the first time — invoked NATO’s collective security clause. As well as Britain, France, Denmark, Italy, and Poland, troops from other NATO ally countries including Canada, the Netherlands, and Germany were also killed.
German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius recalled the “heavy price” his country paid, stressing that “our army was ready when our American allies asked for support” in 2001. “Many wounded are still suffering today from the physical and psychological consequences of that period,” he added.
Trump’s comments follow a bruising transatlantic crisis over his threats to seize Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory — now seemingly defused. The US president on Wednesday backed away from threatened tariffs on Europe for opposing his claims on the Arctic island.
© 2024 AFP
