Sikorski urges Hegseth to remember 44 fallen Polish soldiers — RMF24

In Poland, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski responded to remarks by U.S. official Pete Hegseth about the role of U.S. allies in the operation in Afghanistan. In a post on X, the Polish diplomat urged Hegseth to say this to the families of 44 Polish soldiers who died while providing security in the difficult Ghazni province, RMF24 reports.

What Hegseth said

During a speech at the University of Tennessee to participants in a military training program, Hegseth spoke about his own service in Afghanistan. He recalled seeing the flags of about 50 countries near the headquarters of allied forces in Kabul, but stated that only a few countries actually took part in combat operations.

The official also mentioned a joking interpretation of the acronym ISAF — the International Security Assistance Force, NATO’s mission in Afghanistan in 2001–2014. According to him, military personnel sometimes explained it as “I Saw Americans Fighting.”

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Reaction of the Polish authorities

Jan Grabiec, head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, said that Polish service members are owed an apology. He recalled that during the Afghan mission, in addition to 44 deaths, hundreds of Poles were wounded.

Polish troops took part in the operation in Afghanistan for nearly two decades and were, in particular, responsible for operations in Ghazni province, which was considered one of the country’s most difficult regions. During the presence of NATO forces in Afghanistan in 2001–2021, about 3,500 service members from allied countries were killed. About 2,500 of them were Americans, while more than 1,100 were military personnel from other allied countries.