Hegseth downplays NATO allies' contribution in Afghanistan war

Pentagon chief Hegseth has questioned the contribution of NATO allies to the Afghan mission. According to him, of the 50 countries, only “maybe five” really fought, and by the end it was one or two. His words drew sharp criticism, US media report.

The ISAF joke and the reaction

Hegseth recalled his service in Afghanistan: “It was great to see 50 different countries contributing to the NATO allied mission.” He then cast doubt on that contribution. He described the acronym ISAF (International Security Assistance Force) as a joke among American troops: “I Saw Americans Fighting”.

On social media, people responded by recalling above all the hundreds of allied soldiers who died. Northern Irish politician and former soldier Doug Beattie, who also served in Afghanistan as a captain, called Hegseth dishonourable and disrespectful and urged him to apologise to the families of the fallen. Other critics said he should “just say thank you” to the allies.

What the numbers say

According to NATO, at its peak ISAF relied on more than 130,000 troops from 51 member and partner countries of the alliance. They carried out combat operations and trained and supported the Afghan security forces. Thirty-one countries suffered losses, with about 3,621 allied soldiers killed in total.

After the US, the United Kingdom lost the most: 457 troops. According to the Canadian government, 158 Canadian soldiers died there, and France lost 89. 14 Czech soldiers were also killed in Afghanistan.

This is not the first time Trump and his circle have belittled the role of allies: Trump has repeatedly claimed that European countries spend too little on defence and rely mainly on the US. Hegseth has spoken about the Afghan mission this way more than once. US Senator Chris Coons had already responded to his words: soldiers from allied countries not only served but died. He singled out Denmark, whose losses relative to population were among the highest. Hegseth acknowledged that other countries also suffered losses, but insisted that “the bulk of the burden was borne by Americans.”

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz