Congressional and diplomatic rebuke
US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth claimed only one or two countries contributed to kinetic operations in Afghanistan, despite the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquarters hosting flags from over fifty nations. During a speech to US military cadets in Tennessee on Saturday, Hegseth joked that the ISAF patch meant "I Saw Americans Fighting." Polish leaders condemned these remarks as a dismissal of the efforts of international partners. Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski responded on social media, telling Hegseth to "Tell that to the families of 44 Polish soldiers who died securing the tough Ghazni province." Tusk is the first European head of government to directly criticise Hegseth’s remarks, although a spokesperson for British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said on Monday that it was "wrong to diminish the role" of British personnel, 457 of whom died in Afghanistan. The Polish response is a blunt rebuke of Hegseth’s attempt to downplay the war’s complexity.
Wlodzimierz Czarzasty, the speaker of the Sejm and leader of The Left, called the remarks "scandalous" at a press conference. He said the comments are "harmful to the families of Polish soldiers and to Polish national pride." Czarzasty also criticized President Karol Nawrocki, a conservative ally of Donald Trump, for failing to condemn the comments. He called the silence of the commander-in-chief "an insult to Polish soldiers" because Nawrocki cannot defend their dignity. This criticism follows recent friction between the Polish government and the US administration.
| Coalition Grouping | Afghanistan Fatalities |
|---|---|
| United States | 2,461 |
| United Kingdom | 457 |
| Poland | 44 |
| Total Coalition | 3,621 |
Soldier casualties and political tension
Prime Minister Donald Tusk read a message to his cabinet from a former military medic who confirmed the death of the last Polish casualty, a platoon sergeant whose wife was pregnant in Poland at the time. The medic wrote, "Please stand up for soldiers, I beg you." The medic also noted that during the tour, Polish forces treated Americans using "our own Polish medicines," and the medic received a medal from the Americans for the assistance provided. Tusk told his cabinet that Polish soldiers stood "shoulder to shoulder" with Americans wherever they needed participation, but he also noted he miscalculated by expecting President Nawrocki to speak out.
Hegseth’s dismissal of allies contradicts historical friction between Poland and US leadership. In January, Donald Trump suggested that other countries had "stayed a little back, a little off the front lines." This prompted General Roman Polko, who commanded Poland’s GROM special forces unit, to call the US president "a coward who has never been on the front lines." Poland’s 44 fatalities rank seventh among the 31 nations that contributed to the coalition. Tusk also said Poland would not be a "vassal" of the US, suggesting Nawrocki wanted the country to be subservient to Washington. Despite these clashes, Poland requested a new permanent US military base on its territory in June, and the US State Department recently announced it is pushing for Poland to join the G20.
