Downing Street rebukes Hegseth over Afghanistan remarks

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth drew a rebuke from Downing Street and criticism from veterans and European officials after saying that only one or two allied countries were involved in combat operations in Afghanistan near the end of the war. Hegseth made the remarks Saturday during a speech at the University of Tennessee. Recalling the flags displayed at the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force headquarters in Kabul, he said that perhaps five countries had contributed and that only one or two were involved in “kinetic operations” by the end. He also repeated a joke that the ISAF acronym meant “I Saw Americans Fighting.” A spokesperson for British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said Monday that Hegseth was wrong and that it was wrong to diminish the role of British and other allied forces. The spokesperson cited more than 450 British personnel who did not return from the conflict and said British and allied families had made major sacrifices in support of collective security after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. NATO figures cited in reporting show that 51 NATO and partner nations deployed troops to Afghanistan. The ISAF mission, initially...