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Twenty first rifles leave for Afghanistan 01.10.2009 08:05 The sixth rotation of Polish forces in Afghanistan has begun with the departure of the 21st Podhale Rifles Brigade. The brigade left the south-eastern town of Rzeszow for its mission in Afghanistan, Tuesday afternoon. At an official departure ceremony, representatives from Poland’s Ministry of Defence and army officers were in attendance. The brigade are taking part in the sixth rotation of Polish forces in Afghanistan, and numbers 1200 soldiers, who will come back to Poland in six months’ time. The highlander soldiers have been in training since November last year for Poland’s...

Poland and the Czech Republic, which only shed Moscow's yoke 20 years ago, had hoped that the missile shield would provide tangible, if symbolic, evidence of the United States' commitment to their interests and the defence of the region. Now deprived of that, many in Central Europe fear that Russia's influence in the region will go unchecked. This has rekindled latent fears across Central Europe that its security has been sacrificed at the altar of great power politics.

For the Czech prime minister Jan Fischer, the news came in a call hastily placed by President Barack Obama, shortly after midnight on Thursday in Prague. In Warsaw, his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk initially declined to answer the phone from the White House - as he guessed the purpose, from the unusual timing, and wanted to prepare a response. Mr Obama last week unveiled the most dramatic national security reversal of his presidency by scrapping his predecessor George W Bush's planned anti-ballistic missile shield in eastern Europe. With this volte face, the Obama administration has brought the curtain firmly down...

Scrapping of U.S. missile defense plans hands big victory to Russia's new czar. Was it only April? There was President Barack Obama, speaking (as is his wont) in Prague, about the Iranian nuclear program and ballistic missile capability, and saluting America's plucky allies: "The Czech Republic and Poland have been courageous in agreeing to host a defense against these missiles," he declared. "As long as the threat from Iran persists, we will go forward with a missile defense system that is cost-effective and proven." On Thursday, the administration scrapped its missile defense plans for Eastern Europe. The "courageous" Czechs and...

It was the worst thing that the American government could do. This decision was announced on 17 September, when Poland was commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Invasion Day, when the Soviet Union allied with Nazis and stabbed our country in the back. This was an effect of the Nazi- Soviet Pact that was signed on 28 August in Moscow. After this day, all dreams about resisting Hitler's invasion perished -- two evil empires combined their powers to destroy our freedom and sovereignty. At the same day, 70 years later, Obama bowed to the Kremlin. It was something that...

The gist of the article is this: Obama's line of reasoning may be off but the outcome is still useful from an isolationist perspective. Isolationist do not want USA in Poland or anywhere else for that matter. Then we argue that, if you have to have an ally with someone, may as well make it Russia, because at least they fight. Has a cool picture (from Wikimedia) of a bunch of Russian soldiers at Stalingrad with Poposhovs.

Polish and Czech newspapers call Obama's plan treason.

The next 100 years George Friedman Published 27 August 2009 Japan and Turkey form an alliance to attack the US. Poland becomes America’s closest ally. Mexico makes a bid for global supremacy, and a third world war takes place in space. Sounds strange? It could all happen. . . In 1492, Columbus sailed west. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. These two events bracketed the European age. Once, Mayans lived unaware that there were Mongols, who were unaware there were Zulus. From the 15th century onwards, European powers collectively overwhelmed the world, creating the first truly global geopolitical system in...

Poland says hopes U.S. will not let it down on shield Sun Mar 22, 2009 7:43pm IST BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Poland said on Sunday it hoped the new U.S. administration would not abandon plans to station a missile defence system on its territory. President Barack Obama's administration is reviewing U.S. security policy, including the missile shield plan. This has prompted speculation he might shelve a project that has angered Moscow, with which Washington wants to mend ties. Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said Poland had taken "something of a political risk" in signing an agreement with the Bush adminstration to...

The Polish government plans to strengthen Poland's military contingent in Afghanistan this spring, Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said on Wednesday. "We have already started work on a related motion to the president," the minister was quoted as saying by Polish news agency PAP. An additional 400 soldiers will be deployed in Afghanistan, where Poland commands the province of Ghazni, reported daily newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza. Poland currently has 1,600 soldiers in that country. According to the defense minister, the increase could be possible at the turn of May and June when the 5th shift of Polish soldiers would leave for Afghanistan....

Poland wants enhanced military commitment from US By VANESSA GERA WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland expects the United States to carry through with its promises of deeper military cooperation even if President Barack Obama scraps plans for a missile defense base in Poland, the foreign minister said Friday. The comments came as Obama's administration is still deciding whether to continue a Bush-backed plan for a missile defense shield in Europe, a controversial project that has enraged Russia and created fears across Europe of a new Cold War. Washington reached a deal with Poland last summer to put missile defense interceptors...

Taliban release tape of Polish engineer’s death Created: 08.02.2009 19:39 A video tape showing the last moments of the Polish captive in Pakistan, killed on Saturday by the Taliban, has been handed into the Reuters office in the north western town of Dera Ismail Khan. The tape shows two men cutting off the head of Piotr Stanczak, a Polish engineer who was kidnapped by the Taliban last September in the Attock region, near the border with Afghanistan. A statement by the Taliban in Pakistan on Saturday said that they would not be delivering the body of the engineer unless certain...

Polish Community Shocked by Treatment of Polish Citizens at U.S. Border Nowy Dziennik, News Report, Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, Posted: Dec 30, 2008 Review it on NewsTrust Editor's note: The following excerpt is from Feetin2Worlds.org, where the entire commentary is posted. This story also appeared in Boston's ethnicnewz.org. This year ends with an unpleasant intervention by PolandÂ’s diplomatic staff at the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw. At issue are recent cases of Poles who were denied entry to the U.S. at the New York area airports. While no one questions the right of the U.S to bar...

Guantanamo prisoners to be sent to Poland? Created: 24.12.2008 09:15 Poland would be willing to take prisoners from Guantanamo detention camp, after the new Obama administration closes it down. Some prisoners from Guantanamo are likely to be kept in European countries, including Poland. According to the head of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs, Krzysztof Lisek of the ruling Civic Platform, there are no political obstacles to put such a plan into practice. “If our ally submitted a request like that, we wouldn’t refuse,” Lisek said. “But we do know the situation of the Polish penitentiary system, the cramped conditions...

Bush keeps Poland off visa list Nicholas Kralev Friday, October 17, 2008 President Bush angered staunch ally Poland Friday by excluding it from a group of newcomers to a program that allows citizens of certain countries to visit the United States without entry visas. At a Rose Garden ceremony, Mr. Bush announced rescinding visa requirements for six other former communist countries -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- as well as South Korea, effective in about a month. "For years, the leaders of these nations have explained to me how frustrating it is for their citizens...

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.

100 GIs to man Patriot missile battery in Poland By Jeff Schogol, Stars and Stripes Mideast edition, Wednesday, August 27, 2008 ARLINGTON, Va. — About 100 U.S. soldiers are expected to man a Patriot missile battery in Poland as part of an agreement recently struck between U.S. and Polish officials, a top State Department official said Monday. Under the agreement, the United States can base part of its missile defense system in Poland; in return, the U.S. military will send Patriot missiles to Poland. Both sides hope to establish a garrison for the battery by 2012, said John C. Rood,...

Text of US-Polish declaration By The Associated Press 2008-08-21 03:01 AM Text of the "Declaration on Strategic Cooperation Between the United States of America and the Republic of Poland" agreed by the two countries alongside a deal to place a U.S. missile defense base in Poland. The text was provided to the media by the U.S. State Department. "In Warsaw on August 20, 2008, the Secretary of State and the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Republic of Poland agreed to issue the following Declaration: The United States of America (the United States) and the Republic of Poland (Poland) share...

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 says U.S. shield deal hinges on Patriots Fri Jul 11, 2008 6:17pm BST WARSAW/VILNIUS (Reuters) - Poland is insisting on the permanent stationing of a U.S. Patriot battery on its soil as a condition for hosting part of a anti-missile defence shield, its defence minister was quoted as saying on Friday. Washington wants to install 10 interceptor missiles in Poland, a NATO ally, as part of the shield project, which aims to protect the United States and its allies from attack by so-called "rogue states" and terrorist groups. In return, Warsaw wants hefty U.S. investments to upgrade its air...

Poland's loyalty to US a one-way street? 10.07.2008 The Poles feel that their country is not perceived as an equal partner by the Americans in terms of politics, which translates to waning enthusiasm for the United States. By Aleksander Kropiwnicki Do Poles still love America? According to some publicists, their attitude to the US is definitely getting less enthusiastic. Warsaw still wants to see America as its partner but not a Big Brother. Poland has never been rewarded for its assistance in Iraq. Washington is reluctant to help significantly in modernising the Polish army, even though it’s keen to situate...

... "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. ...

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...

REDZIKOWO, Poland - Among the people living around this disused Polish air base, there is little enthusiasm for the missile interceptor station likely to be built here as part of a U.S. missile defense system. Poland's new government is sounding increasingly skeptical about the plan, arguing that it won't boost Polish security, and that sentiment is echoed throughout this farming region near the Baltic Sea coast. The main fear is that the area will become a target for retaliation by Russia, which vigorously opposes President Bush's plan. "If they build the missile defense base here, it'll be a magnet and...

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...

Wounded Polish ambassador to be woken up from artificial coma Sunday, October 7. 2007 The state of Poland’s ambassador to Iraq, Gen. Edward Pietrzyk, wounded in a bomb attack in Bagdad last week, remains serious but is improving. The diplomat is being gradually brought out of the an artificial coma. For two days now, Pietrzyk is hospitalised in the Grievous Burns Cure Centre in Gryfice, northern Poland. Head of the institution Andrzej Krajewski said that the patient’s state is improving from hour to hour and that there is no immediate threat to his life now. Doctor Krajewski added that in...

More Polish soldiers leave for Afghanistan Sunday, October 7. 2007 220 soldiers of the second shift of the Polish Military Contingent in Afghanistan have departed from Wrocław airport, Poland. The group consisted of soldiers from the 17th Mechanised Brigade in Międzyrzecze and the 6th Airborne Brigade in Krakow. At the airport they were bidden farewell by their families and the representatives of the military authorities. In a speech to the leaving soldiers, first deputy of the head of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Gen. Mieczysław Stachowiak pointed out that the second shift of the Polish contingent was...

WARSAW, Poland, Sept. 18 U.S. automaker General Motors announced plans to rebuild the FSO manufacturing plant in Poland and make it Europe's biggest Chevrolet producer. Peter Forster, chief executive officer of General Motors Europe, said the company wants to make cars in Poland for the next 25 years or more, a Polish Radio report said. GM plans to produce 400,000 Chevrolet vehicles annually. Earlier this month, GM announced it paid $254.5 million for 40 percent of FSO shares.

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.

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...

How dangerous is Afghanistan? 16.08.2007 After the Polish forces suffered their first fatality in Afghanistan, Poles back home start to wonder how dangerous it for the army there. Agnieszka Bielaqska reports Poland suffered the first loss since joining the NATO led force in Afghanistan on August 14. A Polish soldier was killed when a his troop came under fire from unknown assailants. A military salute bade farewell to 28 year old Lukasz Kurowski, during a mass in the Warsaw cathedral on August 15th , celebrating the Polish Army day. Second Lieutenant Lukasz Kurowski was taking part in a joint patrol...

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.

No reward for Poland's strong support of U.S. policies Warsaw, Poland August 6, 2007 U.S. President George W. Bush signed an anti-terrorism bill into law on Friday. Among other provisions, the law allows visa-less entries into the U.S. for citizens of certain countries, but not for Polish citizens. The issue is a touchy one in Poland because successive Polish Governments and Presidents have lobbied the U.S. to eliminate visa restrictions on Poles, thus far with no success. In the current bill, Czech citizens will have visa requirements lifted. Poland has been a strong ally of U.S. war efforts in both...

Poland plans formal alliance with U.S. www.chinaview.cn 2007-07-19 22:31:56 WARSAW, July 19 (Xinhua) -- Poland plans to make formal its alliance with the United States in an agreement regarding the possible deployment of a U.S. missile defense shield, the country's security chief said Thursday. "We would like to have a sort of written and binding agreement," Wladyslaw Stasiak, the head of the National Security Bureau, was quoted by the PAP news agency as saying. During negotiations between Warsaw and Washington, the two sides mainly discussed the status of the missile defense base and "a broader security context," he said. As...

POLAND PREZ A TRUE-BLUE ALLY By CHARLES HURT, Washington Bureau Chief July 17, 2007 -- WASHINGTON - Poland's leader yesterday stood solidly behind President Bush and warned that a U.S. withdrawal from Iraq now would be like the disastrous pullout from Vietnam in the 1970s. "We need to remain there, in spite of the fact that it is very costly and very painful," Polish President Lech Kaczynski told The Post in an interview during his visit to D.C. last night. Poland, a close U.S. ally, has maintained about 1,000 troops in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. A withdrawal "brings significant...

Polish soldier killed in Iraq, Warsaw says Apr 21, 2007, 9:51 GMT Warsaw - A Polish soldier was killed and four were wounded in an explosion during a night-time patrol in central Iraq, the Defence Ministry said Saturday. The ministry said the soldier, 25, was on a joint patrol of Polish forces and Iraqi police in the central province of Diwaniya when the blast occurred. He became the 25th Polish national to be killed in Iraq, where Poland's military has been participating in the multinational forces since September 2003. Some 750 Polish soldiers are currently on duty in Iraq, with...

Before they were deployed to Afhganistan (last month) Polish elite troops had done some manouvres in Polish Tatra mountains. You can see them on the set of pictures posted belowe (it's probably GROM) Soldiers also had to "fight" they first "battle", as Polish ecologist wanted to prevent the military from taking that training, as they maintained - it would harm ... chamois. Useful idiots as usually

Polish Iraq mission may go on offensive -president 05 Apr 2007 13:07:51 GMT Source: Reuters WARSAW, April 5 (Reuters) - Poland may be forced to strengthen its military mission in Iraq and order it on the offensive more in response to recent attacks on its base there, President Lech Kaczynski said on Thursday. "Our base has been frequently shot at recently, so we may have to change the character (of the mission) to more offensive," Kaczynski told a news conference. "If someone thinks that this is the way to force Poles out of Iraq, he's wrong." Poland now has about...

GROM troops set of for Afghanistan 19.02.2007 A farewell ceremony for soldiers of Poland’s elite unit GROM who will serve in Afghanistan has been held at Rembertow near Warsaw. Defense minister Aleksander Szczyglo said their mission is a realization of Poland’s obligations as a NATO member. Polish troops, who are taking part in the NATO operation codenamed ISAF, will cooperate within a multinational contingent and also with the United States. Upon arrival, they will adapt to the climate for several weeks. GROM unit commander colonel Piotr Patalong said their tasks in Afghanistan will be dangerous but they are well prepared...

Poland sends special troops to Afghanistan WARSAW: Soldiers from Poland’s Operational Mobile Reaction Group (GROM) will leave for Afghanistan soon to support other Polish units there, reported the Polish news agency PAP. The troops on Monday received an official farewell from Defence Minister Aleksander Szczyglo and military Chief of Staff General Franciszek Gagor. Established on July 13, 1990, GROM is a special unit of the Polish army, which can also serve in counter-terrorist operations. Currently, there are over 100 Polish soldiers in Afghanistan, and the Polish government last year vowed to send 1,000 more in the first half of 2007....

Poland earmarks unfettered troops for Afghan mission Mike Blanchfield, CanWest News Service; Ottawa Citizen Published: Monday, March 12, 2007 OTTAWA -- Canada is grateful Poland is sending 1,000 troops to southern Afghanistan, but the Eastern European country is banking on a much stronger thank you from its NATO allies - protection from what it sees as growing threats from Russia. "It's not a gesture. It's an obligation. We are a member of an alliance. We feel it was our duty to respond," Witold Waszczykowski, Poland's top foreign affairs bureaucrat, explained in an exclusive interview about his country's decision to help...

What's in it for Poland? Despite disapproval, it will stay in Iraq to keep U.S. on its side MATTHEW McALLESTER February 18, 2007 PROCHNIK, Poland - One grave stands out in the tiny, unfenced village cemetery. Andrzej Zielke's plot is the only one enclosed by an ironwork fence and the only one with a small bench that sits in front of flickering candles and the black, broken heart of a headstone. "He died tragically executing a fighting order in the second change of the Polish military contingent in Iraq," reads the inscription, in Polish, on the broken heart, which is...

Poles to ‘stay the course’ in Iraq 08.02.2007 Despite the death of another Polish soldier in Iraq, the government says it intends to fulfill its mission as part of the coalition. Rafal Kipuszewski reports Another Polish soldier serving in Iraq has been killed when a military vehicle on its way between two allied bases hit a booby trap. This is the 19th to be killed in action, as the country struggles to maintain stability with the assistance of US-led forces, in which Poland has been taking an active part. A Polish convoy driving from the Scania military base in Nippur...

Polish soldier killed in Iraq 07.02.2007 A Polish soldier has been killed in Iraq and three others suffered minor injuries in the wake of a road side improvised explosive device. The incident occurred some 30 kilometers from Divaniya. The brings the death toll suffered by the Polish army since the war began in Iraq in 2003 to 19.

Killers of Polish solder arrested in Iraq 11.01.2007 Police in Iraq has arrested two men responsible for the killing of a Polish soldier in Madul in 2004 – informed press spokesman for the International Division, lt col Dariusz Kasperczyk. He said that the arrest was carried out by a special force from Hilla. The men, who during police interrogations admitted to the killing of the Polish soldier, were part of a criminal group charged with attacks on civilians.

1200 Polish troops on Iraqi mission till end 2007 22.12.2006 President Lech Kaczynski has approved a government motion to extend Poland’s military presence in Iraq till end 2007. However, the decision does not exclude the possibility of an earlier pullout should sufficient security conditions in the country permit. The Polish contingent is to number 1200 troops and auxiliary personnel. 900 soldiers are to serve in Iraq, while the remaining 300 will constitute a reserve force stationed in Poland.

Poland's government asks president to extend Iraq mission to end of 2007 The Associated Press Published: 2006-12-19 10:10:14 WARSAW, Poland: Poland's government asked the president Tuesday to prolong the mission of Poland's 900 troops in Iraq by a year until the end of 2007. The current mission was originally due to last until Dec. 31, 2006. But the government of Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said on its Web site that it had sent a letter to President Lech Kaczynski, his twin brother, formally requesting the 12-month extension. The president will decide on the matter within the next few days, senior...

Hohenfels training gets Polish troops ready for deployment to Afghanistan By Nancy Montgomery, Stars and Stripes European edition, Monday, December 18, 2006 HOHENFELS, Germany — Three months after NATO’s top commander pleaded for more troops in Afghanistan, just weeks after army generals discussed it in a Heidelberg hotel, Pvt. Krystian Belski had his boots planted in the Hohenfels mud. The Polish private, with his AK-74, helped fend off a pretend ambush that followed a mock roadside bomb explosion. He was with other soldiers from the 18th Airborne Battalion training this month at the Joint Multi-National Training Center to prepare for...

Euphrates VIII – Maneuvers of Polish Army units before deployment of the 8th shift to Iraq 34th Armored Cavalry Brigade, 11th Lubuska Armored Cavalry Division, 25th Airborne Cavalry Brigade, 49th Assault Helicopter Regiment exercising in Zagan (Poland) before their deployment to Iraq.