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The Duke of Sussex has emphasized the need to honor the sacrifices made by NATO troops with honesty and respect, responding to remarks by the US president that suggested allied forces kept a distance from frontline combat in Afghanistan. Prince Harry, who was deployed twice to Afghanistan, highlighted the personal impact of the conflict, saying, “I served there. I made lifelong friends there. And I lost friends there.” His tribute acknowledged the 457 UK service personnel who died during the war.
These statements came shortly after Donald Trump’s controversial comments in a Fox News interview, where he claimed that allied countries “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” in Afghanistan and expressed doubt about NATO’s future loyalty to the United States. The UK’s Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, strongly condemned Trump’s remarks as “insulting and frankly appalling.” The reaction from political leaders in the UK and abroad was swift and critical, pointing out the sacrifices made by troops and highlighting the US president’s own avoidance of active military duty.
Following the 9/11 attacks, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first time in its history, prompting the United Kingdom and other member nations to join the US military campaign in Afghanistan. Prince Harry stated, “In 2001, Nato invoked Article 5 for the first – and only – time in history. It meant that every allied nation was obliged to stand with the United States in Afghanistan, in pursuit of our shared security. Allies answered that call.” He went on to reflect on the deep personal and national cost, saying, “Thousands of lives were changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried sons and daughters. Children were left without a parent. Families are left carrying the cost.”
The backlash to Trump’s claims extended beyond the UK. Poland’s foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, himself a veteran of the Afghan conflict, stated unequivocally, “No one has the right to mock the service of our soldiers.” Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, former NATO secretary general during the war, added to this sentiment by calling for a “sincere apology” from the president for belittling the contributions and sacrifices of coalition forces. The conflict resulted in over 3,500 coalition deaths by the time of the US withdrawal in 2021, with British forces suffering the second highest number of fatalities after the United States
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