{"id":60285,"date":"2026-01-25T13:26:31","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T10:26:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/?p=60285"},"modified":"2026-01-25T13:26:31","modified_gmt":"2026-01-25T10:26:31","slug":"trump-walks-back-insult-to-british-troops-in-afghanistan-after-wave-of-backlash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/2026\/01\/25\/trump-walks-back-insult-to-british-troops-in-afghanistan-after-wave-of-backlash\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Walks Back Insult to British Troops in Afghanistan After Wave of Backlash"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is understood that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the remarks directly with the U.S. president after joining veterans and politicians from across the political spectrum in condemning what were described as \u201cshocking\u201d false claims.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By Tara Cobham | Saturday, 24 January 2026<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Donald Trump has walked back his offensive remarks about British troops who served in Afghanistan, following widespread anger over his false claims regarding NATO allies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The U.S. president has now praised the \u201cgreat and brave soldiers of the United Kingdom,\u201d after previously claiming that NATO allies had stayed away from the front lines during the war in Afghanistan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Political and Public Response<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

It is understood that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer directly challenged Trump\u2019s comments during a conversation on Saturday. Starmer had joined Prince Harry, veterans, and politicians from all parties in condemning the remarks, describing them as \u201cshocking\u201d and calling for an apology.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Critics pointed to the number of non-American casualties in the Afghan coalition and also recalled Trump\u2019s own draft deferments during the Vietnam War.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Controversial Statements<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Earlier this week, Trump also suggested he was unsure whether NATO allies \u201cwould be there for us if we needed them,\u201d and claimed that America \u201cnever needed\u201d its NATO partners, despite being the only member state to invoke the alliance\u2019s collective defense clause following the September 11 attacks.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Trump\u2019s Retraction and Acknowledgment of Sacrifice<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

However, in a social media post on Saturday, Trump said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThe great and brave soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America. In Afghanistan, 457 were killed, many were seriously wounded, and they were among the greatest warriors ever. It\u2019s a bond too strong to break. The British Army, with its enormous heart and soul, is second to none (except the USA). We love you all, and always will!\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Downing Street said afterward: \u201cThe Prime Minister raised the issue of the brave British and American soldiers who fought side by side in Afghanistan, many of whom never returned home. He said their sacrifices must never be forgotten.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Political Reactions<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Kemi Badenoch (Leader of the Conservative Party): Welcomed Trump\u2019s new remarks but said the role of allies in Afghanistan \u201cshould never have been in question.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Prince Harry: Criticized Trump\u2019s statements on Friday, saying the sacrifices of British troops who fought and died there \u201cdeserve to be spoken about with honesty and respect.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sir Tony Blair: A spokesperson said Blair remembers with deep gratitude the \u201cimmense contribution and sacrifices\u201d made by British forces on the front lines in the fight against terrorism.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Key Figures Cited:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

British fatalities: 457<\/strong><\/p>\n

Total coalition deaths (non-U.S.): Over 1,100<\/strong><\/p>\n

U.S. fatalities: More than 2,300<\/strong><\/p>\n

(The UK ranks second after the United States in military deaths in Afghanistan.)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is understood that UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer raised the remarks directly with the U.S. president after joining veterans and politicians from across the political spectrum in condemning what were described as \u201cshocking\u201d false claims. By Tara Cobham | Saturday, 24 January 2026 Donald Trump has walked back his offensive remarks about British troops …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50525,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13,25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-60285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-international","category-news-2"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60286,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60285\/revisions\/60286"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sudanevents.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}