Donald Trump has praised UK soldiers who fought in Afghanistan after his claim that allied forces avoided the front lines prompted criticism from veterans and politicians.
Earlier this week Trump angered US allies by downplaying the role of Nato troops in the war and doubted whether the military alliance would be there for the US “if we ever needed them”.
Trump’s words drew condemnation from international allies, while Sir Keir Starmer called them “insulting and frankly appalling”.
The UK prime minister spoke to Trump on Saturday, after which the US president used his Truth Social platform to praise UK troops as being “among the greatest of all warriors”.
Trump was criticised for remarks he made during an interview with Fox News on Thursday in which the president said of Nato troops: “We’ve never needed them. We have never really asked anything of them.
“They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan… and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
That triggered a huge backlash from the families of soldiers who served in Afghanistan, as well as veterans and politicians from across the Westminster and international spectrum who called for Trump to apologise.
On Saturday, Downing Street said the prime minister and US president spoke about the UK’s involvement alongside US and Nato forces in the conflict.
A spokesperson said: “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. We must never forget their sacrifice”.
Credit: bbc.com
