Starmer calls Trump’s remarks about Nato troops in Afghanistan ‘insulting and frankly appalling’
Polish sacrifice in Afghanistan must never be diminished – defence ministerpublished at 16:35 GMT
Adam Easton
Warsaw Correspondent
Image source, Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Polish defence minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz says the contribution of Polish troops in Afghanistan “must not be diminished”.
More than 33,000 Polish troops and military personnel served in Afghanistan, and 43 Polish soldiers and one civilian employee were killed there.
Writing on X, the minister says: “Poland has always been, is, and will be a responsible and reliable ally that, at the moment when security is threatened, stands in its defence.”
“The Polish Army, arm in arm with its allies, took part, among others, in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is present today in missions and operations conducted by Nato,” he adds.
“Tragic moments, when our soldiers died, showed that in defence of international security, of Poland’s security, we are ready to pay the highest price. This sacrifice will never be forgotten and must not be diminished. Poland is a reliable and proven ally, and nothing will change that,” he says.
Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski says Polish soldiers served on the front line in Afghanistan, adding “no one has the right to mock the service of our soldiers”.
