Even the Italian far-right leader, Giorgia Meloni, has had to read Trump’s card. The president wanted to respond to the Republican’s statements, stating that NATO allies were not left behind in Afghanistan, as the American stated a few days ago, and that in fact, the only time that Article 5 of NATO was activated was to help his country, during the 9/11 attack.
“The Italian government was surprised to learn of President Trump’s statements that NATO allies had been “left behind” during operations in Afghanistan,” he stated in ‘X’, where he wanted to remind the Republican that “after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, NATO activated Article 5 for the first and only time in its history: an extraordinary act of solidarity with the United States.”
“In this massive operation against those who fueled terrorism, Italy responded immediately together with its allies, deploying thousands of troops and assuming full responsibility for the Western Regional Command, one of the most important operational areas of the entire international mission,” continued the Italian, who wanted to explain the contribution that her country made on this issue.
“Throughout almost twenty years of commitment, our nation has borne an indisputable cost: 53 Italian soldiers killed and more than 700 wounded while participating in combat operations, security missions and training programs for Afghan forces,” he assured, before criticizing that “For this reason, statements that minimize the contribution of NATO countries in Afghanistan are not acceptable, especially if they come from an allied nation.”
“Italy and the United States are united by a solid friendship, based on shared values and a historical collaboration, even more necessary in the face of the many current challenges. But friendship requires respect, a fundamental condition to continue guaranteeing the solidarity that sustains the Atlantic Alliance,” the Italian finally stated in the publication, where in just two hours it has achieved more than half a million views.
