Poland’s Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski has hit back at US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth over remarks downplaying NATO allies’ contributions to the Afghanistan war, urging him to remember the Polish personnel who died fighting alongside American forces.

Hegseth recently questioned the extent of allied combat contributions during the Afghanistan mission, suggesting that only a small number of countries had played a significant role. He also joked that ISAF, the International Security Assistance Force, stood for “I Saw Americans Fighting.”

Sikorski responded by challenging Hegseth to repeat his remarks to the families of the 44 Polish personnel killed during the mission, including those who served in Ghazni province.

Jan Grabiec, head of the Polish prime minister’s office, also condemned the comments, saying the sacrifices of allied troops should not be mocked.

Poland took part in the US-led military operation from 2001 until the withdrawal of international forces in 2021.

More than 33,000 Polish soldiers and defence personnel served in Afghanistan over nearly two decades.

According to the report, 43 Polish soldiers and one civilian paramedic were killed, while more than 200 Polish personnel were wounded.

The Afghanistan mission marked the first and only time NATO invoked Article 5, its collective defence clause, following the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.

More than 1,000 NATO service members were killed during the mission, including 44 Poles.

The dispute has renewed debate over the contributions and sacrifices of NATO allies during the two-decade conflict, in which forces from across the alliance served alongside the United States.

The Ministry of Public Works of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has launched a 40 million afghani (AFN) project to rehabilitate 45 kilometres of the main road in Panjshir province, aiming to improve road conditions and facilitate safer travel.

The project was officially inaugurated in the presence of Panjshir Governor Mohammad Agha Hakim, provincial Public Works Director Mohammad Fahim Muwahid, local officials and tribal elders.

The rehabilitation work begins in the Dalan Sang area of Shutul district and extends to Doabi in Baharak Bazaarak. It includes repairing and patching the road surface, constructing gabion retaining walls, building culverts and roadside drainage channels, as well as other related works.

According to the Ministry of Public Works, the project has been contracted to the private sector. Its implementation is expected to prevent further deterioration of the road and ease transportation difficulties for residents.

“In Afghanistan, we will continue dialogue with the de facto authorities on the rights of women and girls to education and work, based on Islamic values, and support the humanitarian and economic needs of the Afghan people,” he said addressing the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers in Baghdad, Iraq.

At the meeting, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan also said the situation in Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia was challenging and should be at the top of the meeting’s agenda.