Sir Ed wrote on social media that Trump had “avoided military service”, adding: “How dare he question their sacrifice?”
Meanwhile, former British Army officer Obese-Jecty said it was “sad to see our nation’s sacrifice, and that of our Nato partners, held so cheaply by the president of the United States”.
“I saw first hand the sacrifices made by British soldiers,” he wrote on X.
“I don’t believe US military personnel share the view of President Trump; his words do them a disservice as our closest military allies.”
Calvin Bailey, a Labour MP and former RAF officer who served alongside US special operations units in Afghanistan, said the president’s claim bore “no resemblance to the reality experienced by those of us who served there”.
“As I reminded the US Forces I served with on 4 July 2008, we were there because of a shared belief, articulated at America’s founding, that free people have inalienable rights and should not live under tyranny,” he told the PA news agency.
“That belief underpinned the response to 9/11, and it is worth reflecting on now.”