Fact Check: Is Trump’s claim 'NATO soldiers avoided frontlines in Afghanistan' true?
DAVOS, SWITZERLAND: President Donald Trump's recent remark about the role of NATO troops in Afghanistan has ignited a fresh controversy, particularly among British politicians and military veterans. He claimed that NATO forces largely stayed away from the frontlines, sparking speculations about the truth behind the claim. Let us fact-check the remark.
Claim: Donald Trump claims NATO soldiers avoided frontlines
Amid the recent tensions between the US and NATO due to the Greenland issue, Trump on Thursday ramped up the tensions after he said that he wasn't sure if the alliance would 'be there if we ever needed them'.
Speaking to Fox News, he said, “They’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan … and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.”
Fact Check: Politicians and military veterans debunk Trump's remark
457 British troops lost their lives in Afghanistan.
— Ed Davey (@EdwardJDavey) January 22, 2026
Trump avoided military service 5 times.
How dare he question their sacrifice. Farage and all the others still fawning over Trump should be ashamed. pic.twitter.com/4xmsAYnt76
Trump’s statement drew backlash from Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, who debunked the President’s claims.
On Thursday, January 22, Davey pointed out that 457 British service personnel were killed during the war in Afghanistan.
Taking to X, he further slammed Trump, writing, “Trump avoided military service 5 times.”
“How dare he question their sacrifice. Farage and all the others still fawning over Trump should be ashamed.”
The US saw about 2,461 deaths. The allies suffered a total of 1,160 deaths during the conflict, a third of the total deaths.
A total of 3,486 NATO troops died during the 20-year conflict.
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Ject, who served in Afghanistan as a captain in the Royal Yorkshire Regiment, told Sky News that it was 'sad to see our nation’s sacrifice, and that of our Nato partners, held so cheaply by the president of the United States'.
“I saw firsthand the sacrifices made by British soldiers I served alongside in Sangin, where we suffered horrific casualties, as did the US Marines the following year.
“I don’t believe US military personnel share the view of President Trump; his words do them a disservice as our closest military allies,” he added.
NATO allies coordinate over Donald Trump's Greenland rhetoric
European leaders are closely monitoring President Donald Trump’s actions on the global stage, with growing concern over his escalating rhetoric on Greenland prompting behind-the-scenes coordination among NATO allies and key EU figures.
Amid heightened scrutiny of Trump’s public statements, social media posts, and policy moves, a group of senior European leaders has formed a private messaging channel to rapidly respond to what they view as potentially destabilizing actions by the US president, as tensions play out alongside the World Economic Forum in Davos.
