Hartley's mother and others condemn Trump’s claim that NATO troops were "off the front lines" as false and disrespectful.

The mother of British soldier Corporal Jake Hartley, killed in an Afghan IED attack in 2012, condemned former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim that NATO troops were “a little off the front lines” as “barbaric,” saying it disrespects the 457 British service members killed in the war and misrepresents the frontline role of British forces. Hartley, 20, died alongside five comrades during a patrol in Helmand Province, a mission delayed by a sandstorm but continued for force protection. His mother, Nathalie Taylor, expressed deep grief and rejected Trump’s remarks, criticizing his interest in Greenland as disrespectful. UK officials, veterans, and bereaved families also denounced the comments as inaccurate and offensive.