The governments of Britain and Poland responded to the remarks of Pete Higgs, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, regarding the role of NATO members in the Afghanistan war. Higgs recently stated that only a few NATO countries had real participation in the combat operations in Afghanistan.
Criticism of Higgs' Statements
In an interview, Higgs recalled his experience in Afghanistan and said, "When we went to the headquarters in Kabul, there were 50 flags there." He described this image as beautiful but then claimed that "perhaps five countries" were genuinely involved in the combat operations, adding, "In fact, we joked that the ISAF badge meant 'I Saw Americans Fighting.'"
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Response from British and Polish Officials
The official spokesperson for the British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, referring to the sacrifices of British families and allies in this war, said: "Thousands of British families and our allies made great sacrifices to play their important role in this war and uphold our values." He added that over 450 British forces lost their lives in this war and emphasized that "these sacrifices were made in service of collective security and in response to an attack on an ally."
Radosław Sikorski, the Polish Foreign Minister, also called on Higgs to repeat his statements to the families of the 44 Polish soldiers who lost their lives securing Ghazni province in a social media post.
This is not the first time the U.S. government has criticized the role of other NATO countries in the Afghanistan war. In January, former U.S. President Donald Trump made similar remarks, causing anger among British officials.
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