OTTAWA – The host of a Fox News show has apologized for bashing the contribution of Canadian troops in Afghanistan, saying his “satirical take” on daily news events has been misunderstood.

The late-night show, "Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld," featured a panel that took turns bashing Canada. One panelist said he didn't even know Canada had troops in Afghanistan and another said the only reason the military could pull its troops out of the NATO-led mission was because it relies heavily for security on the United States.

A clip of the segment, which aired last week in the early morning hours, surfaced on YouTube over the weekend and kicked off the diplomatic flap.

Dan Dugas, a spokesperson for MacKay, said earlier today that "no one is laughing and they owe Canada — and, more importantly, the families of each one of our fallen heroes — an apology for their ill-informed mistakes."

Canadian soldiers have been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001 and have spent the last four years in the country's most violent region.

Canada has lost 116 soldiers in Afghanistan.

The country has said it will pull out most of its 2,500 troops in Kandahar when its current combat mission expires in 2011.

News of that impending withdrawal, and the army chief's comments that the military would need a year's hiatus to regroup and refurbish, served as the launching pad for members of the Fox panel to mock Canada.

The segment was posted online under the title, "How to Lose Friends and Alienate Countries."

So far, more than 3,000 people have posted responses to the clip, which also makes fun of RCMP officers and their traditional red uniforms.

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