Trump's words 'picks the scab off unhealed wounds'

Donald Trump's claim that Nato troops in Afghanistan stayed off the front line "picks the scab off wounds that never healed," a bereaved mother said.

Lucy Aldridge, whose 18-year-old son William died in a bomb blast in Afghanistan in 2009, said it would have upset the families of those who never came home as well as hurting every Nato member who sent troops to fight.

"The families of those who were lost to that conflict live the trauma every day. I'm not just deeply offended, I'm actually deeply disgusted," Aldridge, of Bromyard in Herefordshire, said.

The UK was among several allies to join the US in Afghanistan. During the conflict, 457 British service personnel were killed.

Trump's words, recorded in an interview with Fox News, was not just misspeaking but has affected "I can imagine, every NATO member who sent troops to fight in Afghanistan and certainly the families of those who never came home," she said.

"He has no compassion for people that don't serve him personally and I don't think that's a great quality for a leader of a country."

Trump said on Thursday he was "not sure" the NATO 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".

Government leaders have criticised the remarks with Health and Social Care minister Stephen Kinnock saying BBC he was "disappointed" by the remarks.

He told BBC Breakfast Trump's claim "doesn't really add up" and his remarks "don't really bear any resemblance to reality".

"They put their lives on the line to defend our country. I am disappointed by President Trump's comments," he said.

Rifleman Aldridge joined the Army in December 2007 and died 47 days after his 18th birthday.

He was one of five soldiers from the 2nd Battalion The Rifles who died in the same incident after being caught in a series of explosions while on foot patrol in Helmand Province.

Despite being injured in the first explosion, Rifleman Aldridge continued to help his colleagues and assisted field medics before the second device exploded, killing him and three others.

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