Captain Ambroziński was the 10th Polish soldier killed in Afghanistan Courtesy of MON/Cpt. Katarzyna Szal/ Bogumiła Piekut

Captain Daniel Ambroziński died on August 10 after his patrol came under fire in Afghanistan. He was the 10th Polish soldier to die in the country and the Poland’s highest-ranking casualty.

The patrol, made up of Afghan and Polish troops, was ambushed by Taliban fighters at around 10:30 am local time (8:00 am Polish time). The soldiers were patrolling the Ajristan district of Ghanzi Province as part of operation “Over the Top,” an effort to increase security before the August 20 presidential elections.

Eight Afghan troops were killed and four Polish soldiers wounded in the ambush, after which Captain Ambroziński was missing. His body was found the next day by American and Afghan soldiers after hours of searching. He had been shot, possibly by a sniper.
This was Captain Ambroziński’s second tour of duty in Afghanistan and he had also served in Iraq. The 32-year-old soldier is survived by a wife and daughter.

At a press conference, Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said that the Polish troops had acted appropriately after coming under fire. “The soldiers kept their cool. I hold them in high esteem,” the minister said. However, the Defense Ministry wants to open an investigation into the incident, in order to check whether all rescue procedures were carried out properly.

In the aftermath of the attack, the government is considering sending an additional 200 soldiers to Afghanistan. Poland’s forces in the country are to receive new equipment soon as well, including three Mi-17 transport helicopters. The Polish contingent, which is part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, is around 2,000-soldiers strong.

Attacks on Polish forces in Afghanistan have been on the increase due to the upcoming elections.