Poland commits to one more year in Afghanistan

thenews.pl ^ | September 19. 2007

[lizol]

Poland commits to one more year in Afghanistan

Wednesday, September 19. 2007

The Polish Defense Ministry has accepted President Lech Kaczynski’s motion to prolong the presence of Polish soldiers in Afghanistan for another year.

Previously, Polish forces were to leave Afghanistan in mid-October.

The new motion prolongs their presence until October, 31, 2008, informs the Government Information Centre.

There are around 1100 Polish forces currently stationed in Afghanistan, mainly in the eastern provinces.

[Greg F]

Miss Poland approves. Or is it that I approve of Miss Poland? Ah, well, good for Poland!

[Ancient Drive]

Yes. Miss Poland strongly agrees and approves.

[drzz]

God Bless Poland... and Miss Poland !!!!!!!!!

[Riodacat]

If they’re going to remain confined to their safe base in Afghanistan and stay out of the tough fighting, they may as well go home now.

[lizol]

Who told you, that they are doing so now?

[Riodacat]

C'mon, the ONLY ones (besides us) pulling their weight fighting in Afghanistan are the Canadians.
Every other country there sits comfortably in the fortified bases.
Who told me? Well I can read and I can see.
Check it out and you'll see I'm right.
Don't get me wrong, I like the Poles, but I'd really like to see them get out there and kick some serious ass like the Canadians do.

[Rikstir]

you left a notable ally. we (uk) have certainly been pulling our weight in afghanistan. in fact we underpin NATO’s efforts to push the insurgents out from Helmand province, the ‘Black Heart of the Taliban’.

Check the youtubes, and you will see first hand the fighting our troops are taking on. Most of our casualties come from offensive patrolling outside of our bases, taking the fight to the enemy, and clearing the valley village by village.

Kudo’s to Poland. Good fighters.

[lizol]

OK, you must be right.
These articles must have been some kind of a a wave of misinformation:

GROM goes to Afghanistan to kill

Poland sends special troops to Afghanistan (GO G.R.O.M.!)

GROM troops set of for Afghanistan (see picture gallery)

Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan

Polish convoy under fire in Afghanistan

Polish forces admit Afghan killings

Poland holds Taliban commander

[Riodacat]

Yah, the U.K. military is there and in Iraq - and has been doing good fighting. I didn’t say they didn’t. Whether they’re fighting at their weight level is debatable. I personally don't think the Brits are taking it to the enemy at the same frequency and level of intensity as the U.S. & Canadian forces. And lately it appears as though they have withdrawn their forces from the field even more.

[Riodacat]

OK, you must be right.
These articles must have been some kind of a a wave of misinformation:

Ummmm, the 1st article I clicked on was "Polish convoy under fire in Afghanistan" which claims Poland has 110,000 troops in Afghanistan.
So, yah, I kinda think there's a bit of misinformation.
BTW, I don't think any of the articles really demonstrate the true fighting capability of the Polish Military. I'm sure they could make a much greater contribution if their political masters back in Warsaw would let them go at the talibunnies.

[lizol]

Does it look like they were "sitting comfortably in the fortified bases"?

[lizol]

I'm sure they could make a much greater contribution if their political masters back in Warsaw would let them go at the talibunnies.

Well, actually - Polish troops are one of the very few, that have been sent to Afghanistan without any prior limitation regarding the location, where they are supposed to be stationed, or what their tasks are supposed to be.

They are stationed in Mazer-e-Sharif, Bagram, Ghazni, Paktika, Kandahar. Most of them are subordinated and co-operate with the US 82nd Airborne Division, and they do, what they are told to do by the American commanders.

[Riodacat]

Does it look like they were "sitting comfortably in the fortified bases"?

LOL. C'mon now. I can post a lot of pics of myself when I was in the military looking good for the cameras in mock battle positions.
Point me to a major fire fight the Poles have been engaged in there and I will post my sincere apologies.

[Rikstir]

Ask the Mercians whether they have been fighting day by day in Helmand...

You’re just being provocative now mate.

[Riodacat]

You’re just being provocative now mate.

No, I'm not. It's well known that MOST of the NATO allies in Afghanistan are sitting safely in bases on their butts with very few countries doing any hard fighting.

[Rikstir]

most. you’ll find the uk and her allies in Helmand have been doing some serious work. We in the uk know all too well about Taliban strongholds in and around town like Naw Zad, Sangin, Gereshk, Musa Qala, Kajaki and its dam complex and the Sangin Valley, where Taliban hold much of the upper part. We are working ditch by ditch, complex by complex. The ANA has proven itself good at fighting the Talib’s, although not so hot at holding the ground once NATO has cleared it.

Check out the UK’s Ministry of Defence website @ “http://www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/home"; and see what our forces have been doing. Also you can czech out Wikipedia and see Operation Herrick, the British mission as part of ISAF. In that article you will see a list of operations we have been undertaking over the past year.

I dont disagree with the notion that some NATO members aren’t pulling their weight. Much of the work that the Germans and French are doing could be done by the ANA and in doing so would gain them valuable professional experience.

[Riodacat]

O.K., thanks you have me convinced and I stand corrected. The U.K. has generally always been in the thick of things - as it has a strong military tradition.
My criticism was more directed at many of the Euro countries (including Poland) and some of our Asian allies (Korea, Japan et al), who are primarily there for window dressing.