Donald Trump has thrown another grenade into the Western alliance, claiming NATO troops "stayed back" in Afghanistan. It’s a rewriting of history that spits on the graves of the fallen, including 457 British soldiers.

Donald Trump does not do diplomacy; he does demolition. In a Fox News interview that has sent shockwaves through European capitals, the US President claimed NATO allies "stayed a little back, a little off the frontlines" in Afghanistan. It is a statement so factually incorrect and morally repugnant that it has united British MPs and veterans in fury.

The insult to Sacrifice

Let’s look at the data. 457 British soldiers died in Afghanistan. Denmark, per capita, suffered higher losses than the US. To claim these troops were hiding is not just a lie; it is an act of betrayal. Labour MP Calvin Bailey, who served there, called it out: "It bears no resemblance to reality."

This matters to us in Kenya because we host British troops in Nanyuki. We contribute to peacekeeping missions in Somalia and Haiti. We know the cost of war. When a global leader dismisses the sacrifice of allies, it erodes the trust that holds coalitions together. If America won't honor the British dead, will they honor the Kenyan dead in the fight against Al-Shabaab?

The Geopolitical Fallout

Trump’s comments are part of a pattern. He views NATO not as a security alliance, but as a protection racket where he is the dissatisfied landlord. By denigrating allies, he emboldens enemies. Putin is watching. Beijing is taking notes. And the West looks more fractured than ever. The "Leader of the Free World" is busy burning the house down.