Posted on 09/14/2006 2:50:27 PM PDT by lizol
Poland's forces not enough for NATO
Peter Wilson, Europe correspondent September 15, 2006
NATO remains desperately short of reinforcements for its Afghanistan campaign, despite an offer by Warsaw yesterday to send 1000 new troops to join Poland's existing 100-strong contingent. Defence Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told Polish TV that the additional 1000 troops would be in Afghanistan by next February.
It was a significant increase and acceleration of Poland's previous offer to send 500 of its troops later next year.
The announcement came hours after pleas for extra soldiers to reinforce the US, Australian and other Western troops fighting in southern Afghanistan met a disappointing response at a NATO meeting yesterday, when there was not a single offer of new troops.
Commanders in Afghanistan had called for at least 2500 more troops because of growing and surprisingly violent Taliban resistance over the past month, but diplomats from the 26 NATO nations sat on their hands when volunteers were requested at the meeting in Belgium.
NATO brings together the US, Canada, Turkey and 23 European countries, and its members have provided the great bulk of the 36,000-odd troops now stationed in Afghanistan trying to support that country's fragile Government against Islamic fundamentalist insurgents.
(Excerpt) Read more at theaustralian.news.com.au ...
Bless you, Poland.
Polish Declaration of Admiration and Friendship for the U.S.A.
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b3f692b603c.htm
Looks like the US will have to send more forces to Afghanistan.
As usually :-)
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