Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that though he “is not an enthusiast of the Afghan mission”, Poland “has to demonstrate solidarity in the spirit of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty.”
Article 5 is the NATO resolution stating that if one member is attacked then all other member states must rally to its defence.
Prime Minister Tusk was commenting on speculation that Poland was about to increase troop numbers in the country in line with the US’s desire for NATO to beef up its mission there.
Donald Tusk’s remarks came as President Barack Obama announced an extra 30,000 US troops would be sent to Afghanistan in an Iraq-type surge to quell growing Taliban insurgency.
US to send 30,000 extra troopsPM Tusk spoke to the White House last night but refused to comment on the contents of the conversation. He did say, however, that a definite decision on increasing Polish troop numbers would be given “at the end of the year”.
Unofficially, Polskie Radio has learnt that 600 troops will be sent to Afghanistan and believes the decision has already been taken.
Piotr Krawczyk from International Affairs Institute in Warsaw also believes the matter is a already a done deal.
The expert told Polskie Radio that with a densely populated region such as that in Ghazni, south east Afghanistan, where Polish troops are based, there is currently not enough troops on the ground at present to take control of the situation.
“The sending of further of soldiers is therefore justified, but the question remains: how will this change the situation on the ground?”said Krawczyk.
With an increased troop presence in Afghanistan the number of the Polish troops would total 2,600 is more than the number sent to Iraq at the height of the insurgency in 2003. (pg/mk/jb)