Veterans, families condemn Trump’s claim NATO stayed ‘behind frontlines’ in Afghanistan

Dutch veterans and families of fallen soldiers expressed outrage after U.S. President Donald Trump said NATO troops in Afghanistan “stayed a bit in the background” and away from the front lines. Trump also questioned whether NATO allies would “be there” if the United States “ever needed them."

Caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister David van Weel described Trump’s statements as “disrespectful and untrue,” citing his experience in Uruzgan, Afghanistan. “I have been to Afghanistan several times,” Van Weel said. “What Trump said is inaccurate.” Caretaker Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans added that Dutch soldiers participated in multiple front-line missions. “It is worrying that he is so badly informed and belittling. Dutch soldiers and their families made huge sacrifices.”

Former Dutch Army Major Henry Beukers, who served in Afghanistan, said the remarks were deeply hurtful. Beukers stated, "We fought alongside the Americans on the front line." He added that veterans’ families also feel the impact: “It affects not only us but also our spouses and children. They know what we experienced there.”

The NATO mission in Afghanistan began after the United States invoked Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty following the September 11, 2001 attacks—the only time the collective defense clause has ever been activated.

Between 2002 and 2021, the Netherlands deployed more than 30,000 service personnel to Afghanistan, with 25 killed, several during combat. Among the dead was the son of then-Armed Forces Chief Peter van Uhm, who died in a bomb attack. A total of 51 countries participated in the ISAF mission.

Dutch Armed Forces Commander General Onno Eichelsheim also condemned Trump’s remarks, saying the service of Dutch troops in Afghanistan “deserves recognition, not denial.” Writing on Facebook, Eichelsheim stressed, “No belittling. There should be no subsequent rewriting of reality. They went knowing their work was dangerous, conditions harsh, and the outcome uncertain. They went out of duty. Out of loyalty. And in the trust that their efforts mattered.”

“As Commander of the Armed Forces, I stand firmly behind every Dutch service member who served in Afghanistan. Their efforts were real. Their sacrifices were real. Their story deserves to be told honestly,” Eichelsheim wrote.

Former Commander of the Royal Netherlands Army Mart de Kruif said Trump’s remarks were “in stark and painful contrast” to reality. Troops from many countries died “because they were fighting on the front line to help an ally,” he wrote online. The U.S. suffered the heaviest losses, with about 2,500 soldiers killed, followed by the United Kingdom with 457.

Former NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called on Trump to apologize. “No American president should have the liberty to belittle their legacy and to insult the ones who are still grieving the fact that they didn’t come back alive from Afghanistan,” he said.

“If Trump says they did nothing, why did they return in a coffin?” said the mother of a deceased British soldier. “He should be put on the frontlines to experience it himself.”