Poland to send 900 troops for Nato's Afghan force

Poland will send at least 900 troops to bolster the Nato mission in Afghanistan, its defence minister said.

“As of February next year, over 1,000 Polish soldiers are going to be serving in Afghanistan,” Radoslaw Sikorski told journalists last night in Washington in comments broadcast on Polish television this morning.

He said the additional force would be a mechanised battalion that would be stationed at the American air base at Bagram, where Poland currently has 100 soldiers.

“We are going to take part in operations primarily in the eastern part of Afghanistan,” Sikorski said.

Poland’s announcement comes as Nato’s military leaders are calling for an additional 2,000 to 2,500 soldiers to plug shortfalls in the alliance’s force in Afghanistan, which has met strong resistance from the resurgent Taliban guerrillas along Afghanistan’s southern border.

The alliance has asked for the soldiers to be available immediately, and it was not clear whether the Polish contribution would plug the gap.

Poland, a staunch US ally, committed combat forces to the US-led invaion of Iraq, and currently has some 900 troops commanding a multinational division south of Baghdad.

Though Poland has talked about reducing its troop commitment in Iraq, Sikorski emphasised he announcement for new troops for Afghanistan does not mean Poland is pulling out.

“No decision has been made on that,” he said.

Sikorski and Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski are in Washington for talks with US leaders.
Source: irishexaminer.com