LONDON — Former U.S. President Donald Trump has ignited fierce condemnation from British officials and military families following controversial remarks questioning NATO allies’ combat commitment during the Afghanistan conflict. Speaking during a Fox News interview in Davos on Thursday, Trump cast doubt on NATO’s reliability while suggesting non-American troops deliberately avoided front-line engagement.
The comments struck a particularly raw nerve in the United Kingdom, which deployed over 150,000 personnel to Afghanistan—the largest contingent after the United States—with 456 ultimately sacrificing their lives. British Defense Secretary John Healey emphasized that UK forces ‘answered the U.S. call’ following the 9/11 attacks, stating fallen troops should be ‘remembered as heroes who gave their lives in service of our nation.’
Lawmaker Ben Obese-Jecty, a former captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment who served in Afghanistan, expressed dismay at seeing ‘our nation’s sacrifice, and that of our NATO partners, held so cheaply.’ The criticism extended to Trump’s personal military service record, with author Stephen Stewart highlighting the ‘huge irony’ of draft deferment recipient Trump questioning others’ combat commitment.
The controversy emerges amid escalating transatlantic tensions following Trump’s threats to seize Greenland—a semi-autonomous Danish territory—and impose tariffs on European nations. Historical context further contradicts Trump’s assertions: Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, the mutual defense clause, was invoked only once—in response to the 9/11 attacks on the United States.
Denmark, which suffered the highest per capita casualties among coalition forces in Afghanistan, exemplified this commitment through former platoon commander Martin Tamm Andersen’s reminder: ‘When America needed us after 9/11 we were there.’
The remarks have prompted calls for diplomatic pushback, with Diane Dernie—mother of a severely injured British soldier—describing Trump’s comments as ‘the ultimate insult’ and urging Prime Minister Keir Starmer to ‘make a stand for those who fought for this country.’