Europe

Europe

Poland to reduce its Afghan force: PM

23 June 2011 19:23 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Thursday he was glad to hear U.S. President Barack Obama’s declaration on the reduction of American forces in Afghanistan, and had asked the Polish defense minister to prepare a similar plan for Polish troops serving in that country, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"I asked Minister Bogdan Klich to prepare a detailed plan adjusting Poland’s moves to the U.S. operation," local media quoted Tusk as saying in Brussels. Tusk went to Brussels on Thursday afternoon to attend a two-day EU summit.

"Poland keeps to its allied obligations very seriously and in the same way it abides by its declaration not to stay in Afghanistan a day longer than necessary," the prime minister stressed.

In a prime-time televised appearance on Wednesday, President Obama announced a phased pullout of troops to end the war in Afghanistan. Obama is planning to withdraw 10,000 troops by the end of the year and a further 23,000 by the end of next summer. Remaining troops would be steadily withdrawn after that.

The Polish military contingent in Afghanistan, which counts some 2,600 soldiers, is taking part in the operation of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). Within the operation, the Polish soldiers help maintain security in the province of Ghazni and train local security forces.