Donald Trump has done it again. In a comment that has united the British political spectrum in rare, seething anger, the former (and perhaps future) US President has claimed that NATO allies "stayed away" from the frontlines in Afghanistan. For the families of the 457 British soldiers who returned home in flag-draped coffins, the insult is unforgivable.

The remarks, made during a rambling interview with Fox News, were dismissed as "utterly ridiculous" by UK ministers and opposition MPs alike. But they are more than just ridiculous; they are a revisionist slap in the face to the alliance that invoked Article 5 solely to defend the United States after 9/11.

"Beneath Contempt"

Sorcha Eastwood, the Alliance MP, captured the national mood, calling the comments "shameful and disgusting." The statistics tell the true story: aside from the US, the UK suffered the heaviest losses in the 20-year conflict. Thousands more were left with life-changing injuries, missing limbs, and the invisible scars of PTSD.

• The Draft Dodger vs. The Fallen: Critics were quick to point out the irony of Trump, who avoided Vietnam with "bone spurs," questioning the valor of NATO troops who fought in the dust of Helmand Province.
• The Alliance at Risk: This is not just history; it is a warning. Trump's disdain for NATO suggests that if he returns to the White House, the security guarantee that has held the West together since 1949 could be shredded.

A Kenyan Perspective on Duty

For Kenyans, whose own soldiers are currently battling gangs in Haiti and Al-Shabaab in Somalia, the sanctity of "boots on the ground" is understood viscerally. To have a global leader dismiss the ultimate sacrifice of allied forces is a dangerous precedent. It tells partners—whether in NATO or the African Union—that their blood may count for nothing in the eyes of Washington.

Trump may be playing to his base, but he is dancing on graves. And the ghosts of Afghanistan are not silent.