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Poland ended its military presence in Iraq Saturday with a ceremony for its approximately 900 troops at Camp Echo, Qadasiyah Province.The Polish army commanded Multi-National Division - Center South, which operated throughout Qadasiyah Province.Polish forces completed 10 rotations in Iraq, which ended October 1, and commanded 10 national contingents, including Armenia, Latvia, Mongolia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  To the memory and honor of the Polish soldiers who fought, worked and lost their lives in Iraq, 2003-2008   It  was in the first days of the operation Iraqi Freedom, 2003.  Despite numerous attempts of the British forces to take a startegic...

Poland ended its military presence in Iraq Saturday with a ceremony for its approximately 900 troops at Camp Echo, Qadasiyah Province.

Mine kills three Polish soldiers in Afghanistan 21 August 2008 | 00:09 | FOCUS News Agency Warsaw. An exploding mine killed three Polish soldiers in Afghanistan Wednesday, seriously injuring a fourth member of their patrol, the Polish army told PAP news agency. The blast happened about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from their Ghazni base in central Afghanistan, Major Jacek Poplawski told the agency. The wounded soldier, part of a 1,200-strong Polish contingent attached to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), was transported by helicopter to another base at Bagram, he added. Polish troop numbers in Afghanistan are due to rise...

Poland introduces professional army www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-06 07:14:40 WARSAW, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Polish government on Tuesday passed a military reform program designed to turn Poland's army into a professional force, according to Polish news agency PAP. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said after a cabinet meeting that Poland's obligatory draft would end with this year and that by 2010 Poland would have a fully professional army numbering 120,000troops. Currently Poland's armed forces number over 124,000 soldiers. Defense Minister Bogdan Klich, speaking to Polish Radio One on Tuesday, said at present career soldiers constitute some 64 percent of the entire military...

In tribute to Polish air force officers. A memorial in tribute to 20 Polish air force officers who died in the crash of the Casa transport plane two months has been unveiled in the Mirosławiec air base in north-western Poland. It consists of a stone plaque with the names of all the victims of the disaster, a wooden cross and the stabilizer recovered from the plane’s wreckage. The ceremony was attended by members of the officers’ families and by high-ranking military officials including the Chief of the General Staff.

... "The United States recognizes the need for Polish forces to be modernized," Bush told reporters. He said "before my watch is over" -- he leaves office in January 2009. ...

Text of report in English by Polish national independent news agency PAP Warsaw, 27 February: Two Polish soldiers died and one was injured on Tuesday [26 February] when their Humvee vehicle hit a roadside bomb near their base in Afghanistan, the Polish Defence Ministry has said. The explosive device blew up the vehicle some 3 kilometres from the Polish base in Sharana in the Paktika province, the ministry said. According to the report the wounded soldier's life is not in danger. The soldiers were returning to the base after a humanitarian mission when one of vehicles in a column drove...

Poland remains loyal in Afghanistan 08.02.2008 Poland will strengthen its troops in Afghanistan, informs RZECZPOSPOLITA. Review by Aleksander Kropiwnicki As Bogdan Klich, the Polish Defense Minister announced last Thursday during the NATO meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania, by July 2008 the number of Polish soldiers based in Afghanistan would be as high as 1600. ‘NATO cannot lose in Afghanistan if it doesn’t want to cause a new wave of terrorist attacks in the West’, warned in Vilnius Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the General Secretary of NATO, quoted by RZECZPOSPOLITA. All the Polish troops in Afghanistan will be concentrated in one region...

Polish army plane in fatal crash A military transport plane has crashed near the north-western Polish town of Miroslawiec, killing at least seven of the 10 people on board, officials say. Fire service spokesman Pawel Fratczak told TVN24 the Casa C-295M came down in a wood while attempting to land at a Polish air force base, causing a fire. Mr Fratczak said the air force had told him six passengers and four crew members were on board the plane. The emergency services are continuing to search for the remaining three. TVN24 said the plane was carrying officials taking part in...

Thousands of young Poles are moving to Britain to avoid being drafted into their country's army. All Polish men over 18 must serve nine months' national service. But since Poland joined the EU in 2004 thousands have come to the UK to get out of it. Now Poland has ordered a crackdown on the draft-dodgers and they face up to three years in jail if they return home. Scroll down for more...Duty: Polish men are expected to complete nine months' national service Colonel Wojciech Ozga, a spokesman for the Polish Army, said: "Poles of conscription age who do not inform...

Poles believe in detained soldiers and blame commanders 16.11.2007 07:49 The Poles believe that the 7soldiers of the 1st shift of the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan, who were arrested on Thursday on war crime charges must have had a reason to attack, a poll by SMG/KRC reveals. In a mortar assault on Nangar Khel village in Afghanistan on August 16 Polish soldiers killed 6 civilians, including two children. The majority of the questioned in the poll published in 'Fakt' answered that they do not believe that the Polish soldiers who shelled the Afghan village did that without a reason...

We want you for the Polish army! 05.11.2007 Polish army is launching a special campaign to encourage young people to join the army voluntarily. Defense Ministry hopes to be able to end the draft and create a fully professionaly army by 2013. Joanna Najfeld reports We want you for the Polish army! Soldiers trained especially for the occasion will be promoting the military profession all over Poland. The aim of the campaign is to attract young men and women with a passion for the army, says Poland's Defense Minister Aleksander Szczygło: 'First of all passion and interest in the army,...

Sixteen suspects arrested by Polish troops in Iraq 05.11.2007 Polish troops together with the Iraqi army and police have detained 16 people suspected of the latest attacks on the coalition forces and civilian population in the south central stabilization zone. Among them may be also people responsible for the latest attack on a Polish convoy, in which one soldier was killed and three were wounded. The detention is a result of a well-coordinated, large scale operation aimed at crushing a criminal group responsible for attacks with the use of car bombs and land mines

* State assistance for families of Polish soldiers killed and injured in Iraq * 04.11.2007 The widow of the Polish soldier who was killed in Iraq on Friday has been awarded a life pension and special allowances to cover the costs of education of their two children. A government spokesman said that decisions on the form of assistance to the families of three other soldiers who suffered injuries in the attack will be taken on Monday. One of them lost an arm. 31 year-old Corporal Andrzej Filipek died after a mine explosion hit a Polish convoy. He is the 27th...

Polish soldiers commemorated Created: Friday, November 2. 2007 The Ministry of National Defense has dedicated a special Internet gallery to soldiers killed overseas in Iraq, Afghanistan, but also Kosovo, Lebanon, Syria and Egypt. The list of soldiers killed during missions abroad features 73 names. The Ministry has explained that the gallery is a tribute to the memory of the heroes “who died while carrying out professional duties abroad”. The list is to be completed gradually. At present the gallery includes short biographies and information on the mission in which a given soldier was killed. The Ministry has requested their families...

Polish soldier killed in Iraq, three others injured WARSAW (AFP) — One Polish soldier was killed and three others injured when a mine explosion hit their convoy in Iraq, Poland's defence minister said Friday. Corporal Andrzej Filipek, 31, died in the blast, and one of the three injured was in serious condition, said Defence Minister Aleksander Szczyglo. The injured were hospitalised at a Polish base near Diwaniyah in southeastern Iraq. The attack brought to 22 the number of Polish troops killed in the country since the US-led invasion in 2003. Earlier this month, Poland's ambassador in Iraq, Edward Pietrzyk, was...

Poland not deserting Iraq, says PM Tuesday, October 9. 2007 Poland should leave Iraq as part of a political plan and wait for a move on the part of the allies, especially keeping an eye on what happens after elections in the USA, Poland’s Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński has told Polish Radio. He was reacting to the recent series of attacks on the Polish embassy in Baghdad. “We should leave the Iraq within a framework of a political plan, and not run away or desert because this would mean that we lose everything we already gained there. And we will...

Polish soldier wounded in Afghanistan wants to return Friday, September 21. 2007 Private Michal Ozog - injured in a road mine blast last month in Afghanistan – has told the Polish Radio News Agency (IAR) that he would be re-joining his unit to continue his service in two months at the latest. Private Ożóg said he could still remember the day in Afghanistan when his vehicle was shattered by a booby trap. As a result, the Polish soldier was badly burned. To this day, he is not convinced that any additional armour on the vehicle would have made any difference...

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.

Polish Defence Minister Aleksander Szczyglo said Thursday he had asked for government approval to keep 1,200 Polish soldiers in Afghanistan deployed there into 2008. The PAP news agency said he made the announcement during a visit to Kabul. The Polish force in Afghanistan operates under NATO's 36,000-strong International Security Assistance Force and handle security in the southeast Ghazni and Patika provinces. Their elite units are also stationed in Kandahar in the south of the country. According to a June poll, 78 percent of Poles disapprove of Poland's continued military role in ISAF, while 17 percent are against and five percent...

Poland will compensate for civilian losses in Afghanistan 14.09.2007 Poland will compensate for civilian losses sustained by the local population in wake of an exchange of fire between the Taliban and Polish troops in the Paktika region of Afghanistan. Several people had been killed when a Polish military patrol began pursuit after a rebel grouping which had attacked them. Polish authorities pledged to extend assistance to the wounded in the action. Three women and an 18 year old youth are being transported to Poland for medical treatment and rehabilitation. Also, another boy from the same village has been included in...

Poland plans to extend troops' presence Afghanistan WARSAW (AFP) — Polish Defence Minister Aleksander Szczyglo said Thursday he had asked for government approval to keep 1,200 Polish soldiers in Afghanistan deployed there into 2008. The PAP news agency said he made the announcement during a visit to Kabul. The Polish force in Afghanistan operates under NATO's 36,000-strong International Security Assistance Force and handle security in the southeast Ghazni and Patika provinces. Their elite units are also stationed in Kandahar in the south of the country. According to a June poll, 78 percent of Poles disapprove of Poland's continued military role...

Polish troops killed Afghan civilians-ministry 22 Aug 2007 16:30:35 GMT WARSAW, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Polish soldiers killed several Afghan civilians in a clash with insurgents last week, Poland's defence ministry said on Wednesday. "As a result of an exchange of fire between the terrorists and our soldiers, there have been some casualties among civilians," the ministry said in a statement. The incident took place on Aug. 16 in the southeastern province of Patika, close to the Pakistani border.Poland has some 1,100 soldiers in Afghanistan as part of a NATO mission. A ministry spokesman told Polish television that "several civilians"...

Polish troops and guests preparing for the parade on Polish Army Day (August 15, 2007) - picture gallery

Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan 14.08.2007 A Polish soldier has been killed in Afghanistan. The 28-year-old lieutenant was wounded after shots were fired at his patrol, and died as he was being transported to hospital. This is the first Polish soldier killed in the mission to Afghanistan. The Polish contingent there, which is part of the Nato-led ISAF mission, numbers about 1100 troops, based in provinces Ghazni and Paktika.

We will take Iraqi interpreters, says Polish defense minister Created: Saturday, August 11. 2007 In an interview with Polish Radio this morning, Polish defense minister, Aleksander Szczyglo, said that the government would be happy to give safe sanctuary to Iraqis who worked for the Polish army. He also said that a decision as to how long Polish troops would remain in Iraq would be taken in the autumn. This week the UK government announced that it was reviewing its policy of not giving asylum to Iraqis working for the coalition forces. The U.S. government is offering 1,000 special immigration visas...

Polish armoured personnel carrier runs over land mine in Afghanistan 12.08.2007 The Rosomak - a Polish armoured vehicle hit a land mine in eastern Afghanistan, 40 kilometres from the military base in Sharan in the Paktika province. No Polish soldiers were injured although the blast severely damaged the vehicle. The vehicle was on its way to assist US troops under fire from insurgents when the accident happened. The vehicle has been taken back to base afterwards. The Polish force serving as a part of the NATO peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan, has 24 Rosomak armoured personnel carriers reinforced with a composite...

A class of Afghan boys with Polish Army escorts boards a CH-47 Chinook helicopter look out the tail end of the aircraft at their country from nearly 10,000 feet during a field trip July 25. U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Aubree Rundle Afghan Children Start Field Trip on Chinook Helicopter Youth trip helps build Polish-Afghan relations. U.S. Army Spc. Aubree Rundle Task Force Pegasus Public Affairs FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, July 31, 2007 — A class of nearly 20 young Afghan boys and their instructors took an unusual route for their class trip July 25. Escorted by members...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SALERNO, Afghanistan, July 10, 2007 – Best-selling books have painted pictures of Afghan children flying colorful kites high in blue skies against backdrops of snow-capped mountains that tower over quaint villages, but not all Afghan children are fortunate enough to own such simple, yet wonderful toys. Two Polish soldiers show an Afghan boy how to fly his new kite in Afghanistan’s Ghazni province, June 24, 2007. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Micah E. Clare  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. However, when the Polish Battle Group arrived in Ghazni province’s Andar district near the end of...

Polish soldiers ready in Afghanistan 20.05.2007 1300 Polish soldiers stationed in Afghanistan are getting ready to officially commence their mission. Their aim is to achieve full combat readiness at the end of May/ beginning of June which means that they will then be ready to patrol their region and face the Taliban forces if such a need arises. According to analysts, Polish troops in Afghanistan will have to face not only risky military operations but also an increasing dislike for foreign troops manifested by local communities. However, general Mieczyslaw Bieniek, an adviser to Afghani minister of defense in Kabul is...

Polish populist to press for withdrawal from Iraq Fri 5 May 2006 6:37 AM ET WARSAW, May 5 (Reuters) - Poland's firebrand populist Andrzej Lepper, set to join the government on Friday, said his Self-Defence party would oppose an extension of the country's military presence in Iraq beyond the end of the year. In December, the ruling conservatives and President Lech Kaczynski agreed with Washington to keep troops in Iraq until the end of 2006 to maintain the multinational character of the U.S.-led military force in the Gulf state. "We want to withdraw our troops from Iraq and we will...

Polish Defense Minister Proud to Have Polish Army Protecting Freedom in Iraq by Sebastian Kwiatkowski Posted Apr 24, 2006 Radek Sikorski travelled a long and winding road on his voyage to become Polish defense minister. When communist dictator Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski sent troops to the streets in Poland, Sikorski, at age 18, sought political asylum in Great Britain. Later, with a master's degree from Oxford University in his pocket, he travelled through Soviet-occupied Afghanistan with a Kalashnikov (AK-47) in hand as a war correspondent. As a foreign affairs expert, the author, journalist and World Press Photo prize winner, he is...

Polish forces 'may stay in Iraq' Poland may not pull its troops out of Iraq at the end of the year as planned, its defence minister has said. Radek Sikorski told the BBC that while he thought it was unlikely Polish forces would stay on, that could change depending on circumstances. Poland has about 1,500 troops currently serving in Iraq. The previous government had said it would withdraw them at the start of the year, but the present administration reversed this when it took power. In an interview with Europe Today, Mr Sikorski said Polish forces had encountered less trouble...

Polish military hospital in Karbala - Camp Lima Polish and U.S. sappers in action (in Afak) Greetings from Polish kids Polish mountain troops wearing ceremonial uniform - definitely too hot for that weather :-))) "New kids in the block" (new shift coming to Divanyiah) Polish soldiers arresting suspect terrorists. Polish sappers in action Camp Echo - party time Slovak sappers in action Poles on duty Polish assault helicopter squad

Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] announces successful completion of the maiden flight of the first Polish F-16 aircraft. The flight took place in Ft. Worth, Texas, USA and marks a key milestone in the success of the Peace Sky program. The F-16 flown yesterday is part of a 48-aircraft order by the Government of Poland and is planned for delivery to the Polish Air Force later this year. The pilot for the first flight was Paul Hattendorf, a company test pilot for Lockheed Martin. He performed numerous system checks, including engine throttle transients at various altitudes and radar checks using a...

Polish troops hand over security tasks in Iraq to Iraqis WARSAW, Feb. 8 (Xinhuanet)-- Polish Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Wednesday Polish army has transferred the responsibility for its zone's tasks to the Iraqis. Poland currently leads a 2,500-strong international troop contingent in Iraq. More than half the soldiers are Polish, but their number is to be reduced by 900 as of this month. It is not sure how long will they stay in Iraq. The soldiers were supposed to be pulled out by the end of this year, but Poland claimed it could maintain its troop's presence in...

Poland committed to Iraq role By Adam Easton BBC correspondent in Warsaw In deep snow Polish troops prepare for their mission in the Iraqi desert. Shouts and the sound of gunfire crack the air as they practise coming under attack, storming buildings and crowd control. It is a somewhat surreal sight. In less than a week these same troops will swap their winter uniforms for desert fatigues. Plans to withdraw the troops by the end of this month had been made by the previous government. But the new conservative Law and Justice government recently reversed that decision. Just fewer than...

P. Bremer's "My year in Iraq" offends Poland 12.01.2006 Accusations, voiced by the former US civilian administrator in Iraq, that Polish troops have not realized their tasks in Iraq properly are absurd, Poland’s defense ministry has said. The US ambassador to Poland expressed regrets that false opinions were circulated about Polish soldiers. A spokesman for the defense ministry Piotr Paszkowski said that the book published by Paul Bremer proves complete ignorance of the terms and principles on which Poland sent its troops to Iraq. He recalled that they were trained and equipped for stabilization and not offensive actions. In his...

Poland to get US Hercules planes WARSAW, Jan. 12 (Xinhuanet) -- The United States will start to deliver five cargo planes Hercules to Poland at the end of 2007, with the last arrival in August 2009, the Polish Ministry of Defense said on Thursday. According to an annex to the Polish-U.S. agreement LOA (Letter of Offer and Acceptance) signed Tuesday, the cargo planes can be used for at least 15 years although they each have already been in service in the air for 20,000 to 22,000 hours. They will join Poland's military forces for logistic tasks such as transport of...

Polish troops may stay in Iraq beyond 2006 www.chinaview.cn 2006-01-06 21:00:21 WARSAW, Jan. 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Polish Defense Minister Radek Sikorski said on Friday that Polish troops could stay in Iraq beyond their current deadline of December 2006. "Everything depends on the situation's development and what the Iraqis and our American allies will ask us for," Sikorski said in an interview with the Rzeczpospolita daily. "It matters to us that the mission finishes a full success," he said. "We've put in so much money and political capital that we want to be able to say that Poland contributed to the...

Poland names new commander of troops in Iraq 2006-01-03 21:06:31 WARSAW, Jan. 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Polish Defense Minister Radoslaw Sikorski on Tuesday named a new commander to lead his country's troops in Iraq after an extended mission was approved by the Polish president last week. General Edward Gruszka, who previously served as commander of Polish troops in Karbala in central Iraq, will command Poland's sixth troop rotation in the Middle East country, Sikorski told a news conference. Poland's president, Lech Kaczynski, approved the extension of the country's military mission in Iraq until Dec. 31, 2006, reversing a decision by the...

Poland set for Baltic air patrols By Adam Easton BBC correspondent in Warsaw Poland has become the first former Warsaw Pact country to take responsibility for patrolling the air space of the three Baltic states. Polish pilots took over the rotating Nato mission from the US at a ceremony in northern Lithuania. Seventy Polish air force personnel will serve there. Poland joined Nato six years ago and it is the first time its pilots will patrol air space bordering Russia. Four Russian-made MiG-29 jets will be flown during the three-month mission. The planes have been specially upgraded by Nato to...

WARSAW, Poland (AP) -- Poland's president said Thursday that he has approved extending the country's military mission in Iraq for another year. Lech Kaczynski decided "to extend the duration of the mission" through Dec. 31, 2006, reversing a decision by Poland's last government to bring the troops home within weeks, his office said in a brief statement. Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz's government requested Tuesday that Kaczynski, the commander in chief of Poland's armed forces, reverse plans by the previous government to bring home troops serving with the U.S.-led coalition in early 2006. Kaczynski's announcement offers some relief to President Bush,...

Polish Leaders Criticized For Breaking Troop Removal Pledge December 28, 2005 11:01 a.m. EST Ayinde O. Chase - All Headline News Staff Writer Warsaw, Poland (AHN) - European politicians from the left and right on Wednesday criticized new Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz’s decision to extend Poland’s military mission in Iraq. Responding to appeals from U.S. officials, the new plan will reduce Polish forces from nearly 1,500 to 900 in March, contradicting Poland’s previous cabinet’s vow to bring troops home this week. Polish officials report the 900 remaining soldiers of its 1,500-troop force will focus almost exclusively on training Iraqis while...

Poland has vowed to keep troops in Iraq until the end of 2006. The previous leftist government planned to pull all troops out early next year after gradually reducing its forces in the course of 2005. But despite plans to cut the present total of 1,500 troops to 900 by next March, the new conservative government has decided to reverse that decision. Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz told a news conference: "The government decided to ask the president to extend the deployment of Polish military forces as part of the international forces in Iraq from January 1, 2006 until December 31,...

U.S. allies withdraw from Iraq Tuesday, December 27, 2005; Posted: 1:52 p.m. EST (18:52 GMT) KIEV, Ukraine (AP) -- The U.S. coalition in Iraq saw its size dwindle Tuesday as Ukraine and Bulgaria said all of their troops had left the country while Poland said it would remain, but reduce its number of troops by 600 next year. The Polish government's decision, which must be approved by President Lech Kaczynski, would be a boost for U.S. President George W. Bush, who has faced withering criticism at home and abroad over his handling of the Iraq war and the growing insurgency...

Poland wants troops in Iraq another year THE ASSOCIATED PRESS WARSAW, Poland -- Poland's government has asked the president to keep Polish troops in Iraq for another year, the premier said Tuesday. If President Lech Kaczynski agrees to Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz's request, it would reverse the decision by the last government to bring troops home within the next few weeks. "The government has asked the president to extend our mission in Iraq," Marcinkiewicz told reporters in Warsaw following the government's weekly meeting. Marcinkiewicz called it "a very difficult decision." The deployment is unpopular, and 17 Polish soldiers have died....

Poland to provide security for Baltics Poland will replace a US team in providing air defense over the Baltic states. It is the first time that an ex- soviet satellite country will patrol airspace in the Baltic region. The three Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania don’t have an air defense force. So the three Baltic states which joined NATO in March 2004 have to rely on their Nato allies for providing top cover air defense. Over the past two years German and US forces have been, for the most part, patrolling and rendering assistance to the Baltics should the...