Carns slams Trump's 'utterly ridiculous' claim Nato allies avoided Afghan frontline
Armed Forces Minister Al Carns has condemned allegations by US President Donald Trump that Nato troops stayed "a little off the frontlines" during the war in Afghanistan, describing them as "utterly ridiculous."
In a video posted on X, the former Royal Marines officer – who served five tours in Afghanistan and was awarded the Military Cross for his services in the country – said: "I'd suggest whoever believes these comments come have a whiskey with me, my colleagues, their families and importantly, the families of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for both our nations."
Mr Carns also posted a video to X showing him on the rooftop of a structure "directing fire and calling in the Apache gunships" during his time in Afghanistan during 2006-7.
Bonds forged in fire
Mr Trump's comment came during an interview with Fox News at Davos – the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum – where he also repeated his criticism of Nato, stating he was "not sure" the alliance would "be there if we ever needed them".
The United States is the only Nato member to have invoked Article 5, the alliance's collective defence clause, which states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
Its invocation followed the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, which ultimately led to the US invasion of Afghanistan.
Allied forces were present from the very start of the campaign, with British and Canadian troops heavily deployed in the Taliban heartlands of Kandahar and Helmand. The latter, in particular, saw the fiercest fighting, where British troops were joined by Danish and Estonian soldiers.
The UK suffered the second-highest number of military deaths during the campaign, with 457 personnel losing their lives; the US saw 2,461 deaths.
Allied nations lost 1,160 service personnel during the conflict, making up around a third of all coalition deaths.
"Many courageous and honourable service personnel from many nations fought on the front line – many fought beyond it," said Mr Carns.
"These are bonds, forged in fire, protecting us or shared interests, but actually protecting democracy overall."
Numerous other Afghanistan veterans have joined Mr Carns in sharing their anger at Mr Trump's comments.
Simon Beeney served in the RAF and was deployed to Afghanistan. "We worked side by side with the Americans after a terrible terrorist attack in the US – we went wherever they did," he wrote in a post on LinkedIn.
"We all lost friends, family, and loved ones. I have some great mates in the US who would strongly disagree and be appalled by his statements."
William Alridge of the 2nd Battalion, The Rifles (pictured left), and Trooper Jack Sadler of the Honourable Artillery Company were both killed in Afghanistan.
Lucy Alridge, William's mother, said the US president showed "no compassion whatsoever for anyone who doesn't serve him".
Jack's father, Ian Sadler, said: "Trump is just ill-advised by his military aides and the people around him.
"Some of the Nato troops were not on the frontline in the same way the British and US troops were, that's true," he admitted, but added: "The British certainly were in the hot spots, they were on the frontline, 457 of them were lost, and there was probably three times as many seriously injured as deaths."
The ultimate insult
Diane Dernie, whose son, Ben Parkinson, suffered horrific injuries when an Army Land Rover hit a mine near Musa Qala in 2006, said the US president's comments were "the ultimate insult" and called on Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to stand up to Mr Trump over them.
"Make a stand for those who fought for this country and for our flag, because it's just beyond belief.
"Come and look at us, the life that Ben leads – 19-and-a-half years on, still fighting for his care, still fighting for him to have a decent life, recovering from a recent operation.
"To hear this man say: 'Oh, well, you just fannied about behind the frontlines'… It's the ultimate insult."
Paratrooper Mr Parkinson, from Doncaster, is widely viewed as the most severely injured British soldier to have survived the war. The blast left the former lance bombardier in 7 Para Royal Horse Artillery with both legs amputated, a twisted spine and brain damage.
Robert Dicketts, whose son Oliver Dicketts, 27, was killed while serving with the Parachute Regiment in Afghanistan in 2006, said: "When I read it, I thought 'What a bloody cheek'.
"I think my thoughts about Donald Trump are probably unprintable. To put it politely, Donald Trump's knowledge of history is lacking considerably."
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