US President Obama's request for more troops for Afghanistan met with mixed reactions in Poland Courtesy of the White House

Poland will increase its military commitment in Afghanistan by sending an additional 600 soldiers abroad and doubling its reserves. As a result, the country will have a 2,600-soldier contingent serving in Afghanistan, with 400 soldiers at home on reserve.

The move was announced last week after Prime Minister Donald Tusk received a call from US President Barack Obama, asking for support. The US government is planning to send an additional 30,000 troops in order to fight the Taliban more effectively and it called on its NATO allies to complement the American contingent with an additional 10,000 soldiers.

As WBJ went to press, it was unclear whether this figure would be reached. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen announced last Friday that 7,000 extra troops, drawn from around 25 NATO countries, would be sent to Afghanistan. Germany and France, however, had not yet answered the call for more troops.

The Polish government tentatively plans to send its extra forces by April, but a formal decision will be made at the beginning of 2010. “The final decision will belong to the president,” said Defense Minister Bogdan Klich.

Poland’s apparent promptness in heeding the US president’s call to arms earned criticism from the opposition, but in fact the decision was probably made a while ago. In late October, America’s new ambassador to Poland, Lee A Feinstein, unexpectedly thanked the nation for “enhancing its presence in Afghanistan.” The slip earned a stern denial from the Polish government.

Critics have also claimed that Poland is too engaged in Afghanistan in the first place and gets little in return. The government stressed, however, that the move would strengthen Poland’s international position.

“It’s an investment in Poland’s future security,” PM Donald Tusk said. He also said he was aware that the Polish people do not want to send more troops to Afghanistan, but stressed that if Poland wants to achieve solidarity with other countries, it has to prove itself in trying times.