UK, Poland rebuke US Defense Secretary Hegseth over Afghanistan role comments

The British and Polish governments have publicly criticized U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth for remarks suggesting that few NATO allies were significantly involved in kinetic operations during the Afghanistan war. Hegseth, speaking on Saturday, recalled seeing many flags at NATO headquarters in Kabul but implied that only a small number of countries were actively engaged in combat. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham stated that Hegseth's comments were "wrong" and disregarded the substantial sacrifices made by British and allied forces, including over 450 British personnel who died. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski challenged Hegseth to repeat his statements to the families of the 44 Polish soldiers who lost their lives in the Ghazni province. This is not the first time U.S. officials have questioned NATO allies' contributions in Afghanistan; President Donald Trump had previously drawn similar criticism.