Politics
Downing Street rebukes Hegseth for downplaying NATO allies' combat role in Afghanistan
October 19, 2026 at 03:28 PM
Coverage
3 reports · 2 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 4 hours
SNSky News Arabia
"مخطئ".. لندن ترد على هيغسيث بشأن مشاركة الناتو في أفغانستان
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
Hegseth wrong to say most non-US Nato forces in Afghanistan did not fight, says No 10
(opens the publisher’s site)
يواليوم السابع
وزير الحرب الأمريكي يتسبب بأزمة دبلوماسية بين واشنطن ولندن.. اعرف القصة
(opens the publisher’s site)Downing Street said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth was wrong to claim only one or two NATO allies took part in combat operations in Afghanistan.
- Hegseth, addressing US military college students on Saturday, said only about five of 50 coalition nations contributed, with one or two involved in kinetic operations.
- Hegseth said he joked that the ISAF patch stood for "I Saw Americans Fighting."
- The UK prime minister's spokesperson said the facts speak for themselves, noting more than 450 British personnel never returned, and called it wrong to diminish their role.
- Personnel from more than 30 nations died on duty in Afghanistan, including 457 from the UK.