Hegseth says few NATO allies fought in Afghanistan; Poland hits back

US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said that although dozens of countries took part in NATO's mission in Afghanistan, only a small number were actually involved in combat. He made the remarks on Saturday while addressing ROTC cadets and new recruits at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Hegseth, who served in Afghanistan as a US Army captain, recalled visiting NATO's headquarters in Kabul, where the flags of around 50 countries were on display. He called it a beautiful sight, but added that perhaps five countries truly contributed, and that by the end of the mission only one or two were taking part in kinetic, or combat, operations.

Poland's Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski responded on X, telling Hegseth to say that to the families of the 44 Polish soldiers who died securing the "difficult" province of Ghazni. According to Polish media, more than 33,000 Polish soldiers and military staff served in Afghanistan between 2002 and 2021.

NATO's ISAF mission ran from 2001 to 2014 and was followed by the Resolute Support training mission until 2021. The United States lost 2,461 troops in the war and Britain 457. Hegseth made similar remarks about allies' contributions in 2025, and President Donald Trump angered allies earlier this year by claiming NATO troops had stayed back from the front lines.