On January 23, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer officially responded to US President Donald Trump's controversial statements. Mr. Starmer called these statements offensive and affirmed that he was not surprised that the relatives of the 457 British soldiers who died felt hurt.
The incident originated from Mr. Trump's interview on Fox News earlier. Here, the head of the White House said that the armies of NATO countries in Afghanistan had actively retreated and kept a safe distance from the front lines throughout the conflict.
When asked by reporters whether he would ask the US side to issue an apology, Prime Minister Starmer answered implicitly that if he himself made a similar slip of the tongue, he would definitely apologize immediately.
The British leader's statement took place in the context of diplomatic relations between Britain and the United States showing signs of cracking due to the Chagos Islands sovereignty dispute and new tariff threats from the United States. However, the British government still decided to speak out publicly to protect the honor of the armed forces.
Prince Harry, who had conducted two direct campaigns in Afghanistan, also spoke out on the same day. The Duke of Sussex affirmed that the sacrifice of British soldiers deserved to be mentioned honestly. He shared that he had lost his friends on this battlefield and thousands of families had their lives changed forever.
The British veteran community also reacted strongly. Ms. Diane Dernie, mother of a veteran who suffered severe multiple injuries due to a mine in 2006, described US President Donald Trump's comments as an insult to soldiers who had left a part of their bodies on the battlefield.
Real statistics show that a total of 3,486 NATO soldiers died in the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan. In addition to the US, Denmark and the UK are the countries that suffered the greatest loss of life per capita.
On the US side, the White House still maintains its position. Late on January 23, spokesman Taylor Rogers rejected criticism from Britain and affirmed that President Trump was completely right to say that the US has contributed more to NATO than all other countries combined.
