Prince Harry, message after Trump downplayed the role of allies in Afghanistan: “These sacrifices deserve to be discussed with honesty and respect”

Prince Harry sent a message on Friday evening saying the sacrifices made by NATO troops in Afghanistan “deserve to be discussed with honesty and respect”, in response to Trump's remarks, which downplayed the contribution of allies in this war. Prince Harry has been deployed twice to Afghanistan as a member of the British Armed Forces, writes the BBC.

“In 2001, NATO invoked Article 5 for the first and only time in history. It meant that every allied country was obligated to stand with the United States in Afghanistan for our common security. Allies answered that call.

I served there. I made friends for life. And I lost friends. The United Kingdom alone had 457 servicemen killed.

Thousands of lives have been changed forever. Mothers and fathers buried their sons and daughters. The children were left without a parent. Families continue to bear the brunt of these losses.

These sacrifices deserve to be discussed with honesty and respect as we remain united and loyal to the defense of diplomacy and peace.”

Prince Harry was deployed twice to Afghanistan during his 10-year military career

Prince Harry completed his military training in 2006, becoming a second lieutenant in a regiment of the Household Cavalry in the British Army. In 2007, he trained as a joint terminal attack controller for the Royal Air Force (RAF) and later became an Apache helicopter pilot.

In early 2008, he was secretly deployed to Afghanistan for a period of 10 weeks, but his mission was cut short after information about his whereabouts emerged in the media.

In September 2012, Prince Harry was deployed to Afghanistan for the second time, this time as co-pilot and gunner on an Apache helicopter.

In his book, Spare, he wrote that during the missions he killed 25 Taliban fighters. “It wasn't a statistic to be proud of, but not one to be ashamed of either,” he notes.

In total, Prince Harry served in the military for 10 years and continues to support veterans' charities, according to the source.

Trump downplayed the Allied contribution to Afghanistan

President Donald Trump stated, in an intervention on Fox News, that the help of US allies in the campaign in Afghanistan was not necessary, their troops staying far from the front lines.

Speaking about his grievances with NATO, Trump questioned the readiness of the 31 allies to come to the aid of the United States if necessary. Speaking on Fox News, Trump said he was unsure whether NATO would pass the “ultimate test” of defending the United States if it were ever threatened.

“We never needed them … They say they sent some troops to Afghanistan … And they did, they stayed a little bit further back, a little bit further from the front line,” Trump said, adding that the United States has been “very nice with Europe and a lot of other countries. But it has to be a two-way street.”

These remarks follow similar comments made earlier this week, when he described the alliance as “overrated” and questioned the readiness of its members to respond to a crisis.

“I know we're going to come to NATO's aid; but I wonder whether or not they're going to come to our aid,” Trump said before attending the World Economic Forum in Davos.

Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO activated Article 5 for the first time in its history, by virtue of which an armed attack against a member state of the Alliance is considered an attack against all, a decision taken then as a sign of solidarity with the USA, reports the EFE news agency.

After those attacks, the American army, supported by the British, invaded Afghanistan on October 7, 2001, launching an armed conflict that would last 20 years. NATO fully joined the operation in 2003, when it took command of the ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) mission, tasked with stabilizing Afghanistan and training local security forces.