Downing Street Rebukes Hegseth Over Remarks on Afghan Allies
Pete Hegseth said Saturday that "maybe five" allied countries contributed in Afghanistan, and closer to one or two fought by the end. Britain's government said Monday it was wrong to diminish its troops' role.
- 51 countries sent troops under ISAF and Operation Enduring Freedom.
- 457 British personnel died, the second-highest toll after the U.S.
- 1,100-plus non-U.S. coalition troops were killed in the war.
- 2,461 U.S. service members died over nearly 20 years.
Why it matters: Hegseth spoke to cadets at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. He joked that ISAF stood for "I Saw Americans Fighting."
- Afghanistan followed NATO's only invocation of Article 5, after the 9/11 attacks.
- President Trump drew a similar backlash earlier this year, then praised British troops.
How 3 sources split on this story
Where they split: Hegseth says few allies carried the combat burden; London, Warsaw and U.S. veterans cite allied death tolls as proof otherwise.
Left coverage, 1 sources: The left sees Hegseth's remarks as a renewed attack on NATO allies that Britain's government was right to rebut.
Right coverage, 1 sources: The right covers the remarks as a rebuke story, centering allied death tolls and criticism from veterans and European officials.
What’s next: The coverage reports no reply from Hegseth or the Pentagon to the criticism.
- Retired Gen. Ben Hodges called the speech "shameful." Poland's Radosław Sikorski cited 44 Polish soldiers killed.
- Will Hegseth walk back the remarks, as Trump partly did with his own earlier this year?
- How will the dispute affect already strained U.S.-European relations?
