US President Donald Trump has reversed course, praising British soldiers following criticism from Britain and other European nations over his remarks on NATO troops in Afghanistan.
Trump said in a US media interview on Thursday that the NATO troops sent to Afghanistan after the 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called Trump’s remarks “insulting and frankly appalling.” Denmark and the Netherlands also criticized his comments.
Trump wrote on social media on Saturday: “The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors.”
He added, “The UK Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none .”
Trump effectively retracted his comments that appeared to downplay the activities of the NATO member states.
The British government says that Starmer spoke to Trump by phone on Saturday.
It says Starmer told Trump that British and American soldiers fought side by side in the country, and many of them never returned home. He stressed, “We must never forget their sacrifice.”