Polish military support for Afghanistan
PR dla Zagranicy
Roberto Galea
13.05.2016 08:07
Two hundred Polish soldiers will be leaving for Afghanistan within the framework of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
The contingent comprised of soldiers from the 8th Air Defence Regiment from Koszalin and the 12th Mechanised Division from Szczecin are scheduled to depart by the end of May.
“Their main assignment will be to serve as advisors in the training of the Afghan army and security forces but they will not take part in any combat operations,” Major Marek Nabzdyjak, spokesman for the Szczecin-based division, told the IAR news agency.
The soldiers have been preparing for the mission since September, last year. They took part in exercises on the Drawsko and Ustka training grounds as well as in courses organised in specialist units in Łódź, Kielce and Zegrze.
The volunteers then passed their final exams in April and received relevant mandatory certificates for taking part in the 4th Polish shift of the Resolute Support Mission.
Their term will end in mid-December.
Polish soldiers have been present in Afghanistan since 2002 when serving in the Enduring Freedom military operation.
The Resolute Support Mission was launched on 1 January 2015, right after the completion of the 13 year-long NATO led stabilisation mission conducted by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). (ss/rg)