Nato allies were with the US from the startpublished at 12:10 GMT
12:10 GMT
Jonathan Beale
Defence correspondent
For President Trump to suggest that America’s allies were not fighting on the front line in Afghanistan is not just an insult, it’s simply untrue.
Nato allies were with the US from the start – soon after the attacks on New York on the 11 September 2001. Those attacks remain the only time that Nato has invoked Article 5 – stating that an attack on one ally is deemed an attack on all.
Nato allies remained in Afghanistan when the US turned its attention to its subsequent war in Iraq. They were still there when the Taliban insurgency grew.
Far from staying away from the front line, Britain and Canada placed troops in the most dangerous provinces of all – the Taliban heartlands of Helmand and Kandahar. In Helmand, the scene of the heaviest fighting, British troops were joined by Danish and Estonian soldiers. All suffered casualties in the heat of battle.
Most of the 457 British troops who died serving in Afghanistan over a period of nearly 20 years were killed in Helmand. Hundreds more suffered injuries and lost limbs. They are still living with the consequences today.
One of them, Ben McBean, wrote on social media: “As I sit here with two limbs missing, friends gone, trying to keep it all together for my family, it’s infuriating to hear this come out of Donald Trump’s mouth”.
Al Carns – now a defence minister – served tours in Afghanistan as a Royal Marine. Government ministers have tended to be more careful when talking about the US president, but Carns has posted a video to make his views known. He refers to the president’s insulting, inaccurate remarks as “a real shame”.