The Polish military contingent in Mali will contain no more than 20 soldiers Courtesy of the US Department of Defense

President Bronisław Komorowski has signed the documents allowing Polish troops to participate in the EU training mission in Mali. The military contingent will include no more than 20 instructors and they will be involved in the mission from February 16 until the end of this year.

Marcin Skowron, the spokesperson for the National Security Bureau, announced that the president signed the documents on Thursday.

The Polish military contingent will train Malian bomb-disposal units and special forces troops. The training aims to improve the skills of the Malian army so that it can effectively battle Islamic insurgents who last year successfully took over territory the size of France in the north of the country.

Poland's Defense Ministry plans to spend some zł.5.8 million on the mission. Polish troops will not take part in active combat duty.

Marta Mardosz