No 10 says Hegseth was wrong to downplay Nato allies’ role in Afghanistan

Downing Street said Pete Hegseth was wrong to downplay Nato allies’ role in combat operations in Afghanistan. The UK government said thousands of British and allied families had made major sacrifices during the war.

Personnel from more than 30 countries died in Afghanistan, according to figures cited in the government’s response. The toll included 457 British personnel, while almost 2,500 US forces were killed.

Andy Burnham’s official spokesperson said it was wrong to diminish the role of British and other Nato forces. He said their service formed part of collective security and followed an attack on an ally.

Hegseth’s account of Nato operations

In a speech on Saturday, Hegseth, who served as a Minnesota Army National Guard instructor in Afghanistan, described seeing 50 flags at the coalition headquarters in Kabul. He said about five countries had contributed to combat operations, with only one or two effectively involved by the end.

Hegseth also referred to a joke expanding the acronym Isaf — the International Security Assistance Force — as “I Saw Americans Fighting”. He said the situation reflected a failure to share the burden.

Keir Starmer had issued a direct rebuke in January to similar comments by Donald Trump that Nato troops in Afghanistan had stayed away from the front lines. Starmer called those remarks insulting and appalling.

UK reaffirms support for Ukraine

The Downing Street spokesperson separately said Britain’s position on Ukraine had remained consistent: it wanted Ukraine to secure a just and lasting peace.

He was responding to reports of a possible peace summit involving the US, Russia and China but excluding Ukraine. He said the countries involved would determine the matter, while Ukraine should speak for itself, and added that the UK’s support for Ukraine was unwavering.