Trump's Nato words 'disrespectful' - amputee veteran

An army veteran who lost his leg in Afghanistan fighting alongside US forces has branded President Donald Trump's comments about the rest of Nato's role in the war as "disrespectful".

Johno Lee, from Newark, Nottinghamshire, who was wounded after his convoy hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in October 2007 in Helmand province, said he was aided by American, British, Norwegian, Czech and Portuguese service members.

Trump claimed Nato sent "some troops" but "stayed a little back, a little off the front lines", sparking outrage from veterans and their families.

Speaking to the BBC, Lee said: "I lost close friends out there... I hope he goes away and has a long think about what he's said."

The UK was among several allies to join the US in Afghanistan after Nato's collective security clause was invoked for the first and only time in its history following the 9/11 attacks.

During the conflict, 457 British service personnel were killed.

Article 5 of Nato states that an attack on one member is considered an attack against all.

But Trump told Fox News on Thursday that he was "not sure" the military alliance would be there for the US "if we ever needed them".

"We've never needed them," he said, adding: "We have never really asked anything of them."

"They'll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan," he said, "and they did, they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines".

Lee was operating with American forces alongside a contingent of Norwegian and Czech troops at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Price located in the Nahri Saraj district of Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

He said he helped train Afghan soldiers and went out on joint patrols with the US troops.

Speaking about when he was wounded, Lee said he was travelling through the town of Gereshk in Helmand province, just outside of FOB Price.

He was on his way to resupply another forward operating base and while on patrol, the convoy he was in was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) by the Taliban.

"It blew up our vehicle and I was in the minefield for an hour and 45 minutes, bleeding to death.

"They sent an Apache helicopter out to try and rescue me but their winch broke and they had to send a EOD (Explosive Ordinance Disposal) team which took ages to come and get me.

"I was unconscious for this but I believe they flew me out but the Norwegians sent a rescue mission to try and recover the vehicle and the Americans sent an Apache as well so it was a multiple [countries] that came to rescue me.

"I had Portuguese doctors, British doctors and Czech doctors were in the hospital trying to save my life after I lost my leg. It was Nato forces," Lee said.

He added: "It's clear the President of the United States hasn't served on the front line and not in Afghanistan because if he had, he would have known for every two American service members that died, one Nato member died.

"I lost friends in Afghanistan, I lost close friends out there.

"It is a little bit disrespectful to say when we were on the front lines, exchanging fire with our American brothers and sisters, losing people all around us that we didn't serve on the front lines.

"It is disrespectful but I hope he hasn't done it intentionally and he just hasn't been made aware.

"I hope our prime minister and other leaders of Nato will be quietly having a conversation of how many lives were lost."

Lee said he had great respect for America and President Trump but added his remarks were "simply not true".

"He also made a comment about if America invoked Article 5, we wouldn't go and help but there is only one country that has called [to invoke Article 5] in the lifetime of the [Nato alliance] that was after the 9/11 attacks.

"They called, we came and helped... for the hundreds of lives that we lost on the front lines in Afghanistan and Iraq, please don't forget our sacrifice.

"We know President Trump, we know he probably won't apologise but I hope that he does," he said.

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