Following Trump's NATO remarks, a minister declares, "No standing back" in Afghanistan.

 

Friday, Canada's defense minister stated, "there was no standing back" by Canadian troops from the front lines in Afghanistan following U.S. The involvement of NATO allies in that conflict was downplayed by President Donald Trump. In an interview that aired on Thursday night, Defense Minister David McGuinty was the latest federal official to respond to Trump's claims that allied troops had "stayed a little back" from the front lines in Afghanistan. The remarks have also been condemned by world leaders. There was no retreating. In a statement provided by his office, McGuinty stated, "only standing side by side, together on the front lines with our allies." “From 2001-2014, Canada joined allies in the fight against terror in Afghanistan.  Men and women from the CAF were on the ground right from the start, not because we had to, but because it was right. In the dangerous Kandahar Province, allied efforts were led by Canadian troops. Combat operations were regular duty, demanding sacrifice from our soldiers.

McGuinty went on to say that "158 of our personnel paid the ultimate price, along with a Canadian diplomat." "In case we forget." While defending his push to acquire Greenland from Denmark, a NATO ally, Trump has repeatedly questioned in recent weeks whether NATO would come to the United States' aid in the event of an attack.

In his interview with Fox News on Thursday, he made the same argument, but he went one step further by claiming that the United States has never required assistance from the transatlantic military alliance.

Trump stated of non-U.S. troops, "We have never really asked anything of them." "They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that, and they did, but they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines," "You know, they'll say that."

After the terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001, NATO's Article 5 commitment to mutual self-defense has never been used. In October 2001, the U.S. called upon NATO allies to participate in an international coalition in Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda, which had used the country as its base, and the group’s Taliban hosts.  Dozens of countries answered the call, including Canada and Denmark, which lost 44 lives and matched the U.S. in per-capita casualties in the war.

 Culture Minister Marc Miller, who served as a reservist, told reporters at the Liberal cabinet retreat in Quebec City on Friday that Canadians made “great sacrifices” in Afghanistan and that Trump’s comments were “false.”

At the conclusion of the retreat, Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne stated that Canada will continue to support multinational forces "whenever called upon" and that "Canadians are very proud of their service" in Afghanistan. He stated, "You cannot rewrite history." We and the entire world are aware of what they did. Additionally, every NATO partner with whom I have communicated will tell you that the Canadian Forces are highly regarded worldwide for their professionalism, sacrifice, and contribution. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, whose country lost 457 military personnel and sent the largest non-American contingent to Afghanistan, suggested Trump should apologize for his comments.  He noted that numerous other British soldiers who survived the war sustained severe injuries that lasted a lifetime.

“I will never forget their courage, their bravery and the sacrifice they made for their country,” Starmer said Friday.

 "I consider President Trump's remarks to be insulting and frankly appalling, and I am not surprised that they have caused such pain to the loved ones of those who died or were injured across the country," the author states. 

—with information from the Associated Press and the Canadian Press