Families of British Soldiers Condemn Trump’s NATO Remarks as “Ultimate Insult”

The mother of a British soldier who suffered catastrophic injuries in Afghanistan has condemned Donald Trump’s recent comments about NATO troops as “the ultimate insult,” igniting a diplomatic controversy that could strain U.S.-UK relations.

In a Fox News interview, the former U.S. president claimed NATO troops “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” during the Afghanistan conflict, suggesting allied forces played only a minimal role in combat operations. The remarks have provoked outrage among families of fallen and wounded NATO servicemembers.

“I can assure you, the Taliban didn’t plant IEDs miles and miles back from the front line,” said Diane Dernie, whose son Ben Parkinson is regarded as the most severely injured British soldier to survive the Afghanistan conflict. “To say that British troops, NATO forces, were not involved on the front lines – it’s just a childish man trying to deflect from his own actions, and it’s just beyond belief.”

According to Help for Heroes charity, approximately 1,186 non-American NATO troops died during the Afghanistan war that began in 2001, compared to more than 2,300 U.S. military fatalities. The United Kingdom alone lost 457 service personnel during the conflict.

Parkinson suffered devastating injuries when an Army Land Rover struck a mine near Musa Qala in 2006. The blast left the former lance bombardier with both legs amputated, a twisted spine, and brain damage. Nearly two decades later, his mother says he still struggles with ongoing care needs.

“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,” Dernie said. “To hear this man say, ‘Oh, well, you just fannied about behind the front lines’. It’s the ultimate insult.”

Ian Sadler, whose son Trooper Jack Sadler was killed in Afghanistan in 2007 while serving with the 4/73 Special Observation Battery, Brigade Reconnaissance Force, offered a more measured response. “Trump is just ill-advised by his military aides and the people around him,” Sadler said, acknowledging that while some NATO contingents had different roles, “The British certainly were in the hot spots, they were on the front line… and there was probably three times as many seriously injured as deaths.”

The controversy comes at a delicate time for UK-U.S. relations. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to address the matter directly with Trump, according to government minister Stephen Kinnock.

“I’m sure [Starmer] will be raising this issue with the president,” Kinnock told LBC. “He stood up very strongly on the issue of tariffs and said they were completely wrong… We do have a Prime Minister who will stand up for the values and principles I know. He’s incredibly proud of our armed forces, and he will make that clear to the president.”

Dernie called for a stronger response from the British government, urging Starmer to “refute what’s said” and “stand up for his own armed forces.”

She also referenced a 2008 meeting between her son and then-U.S. General David Petraeus, who commanded American forces in Afghanistan. “He actually came and met with Ben and with several of the wounded. He gave them all a medal, and he commented what an incredible ally the British forces were and what an amazing job they’d done, and the incredibly high price they’d had to pay.”

The incident highlights growing tensions within the NATO alliance at a time when solidarity is crucial amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Military experts note that British forces played a particularly significant role in some of Afghanistan’s most dangerous provinces, including Helmand, where they suffered substantial casualties in close-quarter combat operations.