DOWNING STREET REJECTS PETE HEGSETH’S AFGHANISTAN CLAIM

Downing Street called a claim by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth about allied forces in Afghanistan “wrong”. Hegseth said on Saturday that only a small number of countries took part in direct fighting during the war. The Prime Minister’s official spokesman responded on Monday, citing the sacrifices made by British and other Nato forces. He said more than 450 British personnel never returned from Afghanistan and described their service as part of a response to an attack on an ally.

Hegseth said he had served as a captain in Afghanistan and recalled seeing 50 national flags at a headquarters in Kabul. He said “maybe five” countries contributed to what he called “kinetic operations”, with the number closer to one or two by the end. The flags represented countries involved in the Nato alliance and the International Security Assistance Force mission. Hegseth said troops joked that the initials ISAF meant “I Saw Americans Fighting”. He said the perceived division of combat duties was demoralising and felt like a burden.

The British death toll was reported as 457, while hundreds more troops suffered life-changing injuries. Other Nato countries also lost personnel in the conflict. Downing Street’s spokesman said thousands of British and allied families had made sacrifices during the war. He said British and other Nato forces had served “in the service of collective security”.