Polish Troops Step Up To Plate, Take Over Tough Province In Afghanistan

This is pretty cool. American troops have been able to leave Ghazni province in Afghanistan to go the volatile border area of eastern Pakistan because 1,600 Polish troops have now taken repsonsibility for Ghazni. Here's some of the details from Reuters:

Polish troops took command of security in the Afghan province of Ghazni on Thursday, a volatile area just two hour's drive southwest of Kabul where Taliban militants are gaining influence.
About 1,600 Polish troops have now taken control of Ghazni, freeing up U.S. forces to take on Taliban militants elsewhere in the eastern sector which includes the porous Pakistani border from where insurgents infiltrate into Afghanistan.

Now, we have documented how wishy washy some of the NATO countries have been in their support of the War in Afghanistan, but let's look at how Poland's defense minister depicts this take over by Polish troops:

"Poland is taking over responsibility for security and development as well as future prosperity of Ghazni province. We are ready to do it and we are dedicated to do it well for the benefit of out hosts," Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich told troops at the change of command ceremony.

So, here we have little Poland, stepping up to the plate in Ghazni, while we still see Germany basking in relative quiet in the northern part of Afghanistan and in no hurry to volunteer help to the southern part of the country. And why is it that Poland has stepped up? Well, I think it is two fold. First, I think the Polish people are too familiar with the oppression they felt at the hands of the Soviets and they see the same oppressive nature of the Taliban. Secondly, Poland remembers what America has done for that country and they believe in reciprocity.

The Poles are going to have a rough go in Ghazni and they will lose soldiers there but at a time when countries are wimping out in the fight against terror and the Taliban, it's refreshing to see the people of Poland stand tough and committed.

Polish troops take charge of tough Afghan province

GHAZNI, Afghanistan, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Polish troops took command of security in the Afghan province of Ghazni on Thursday, a volatile area just two hour's drive southwest of Kabul where Taliban militants are gaining influence.
About 1,600 Polish troops have now taken control of Ghazni, freeing up U.S. forces to take on Taliban militants elsewhere in the eastern sector which includes the porous Pakistani border from where insurgents infiltrate into Afghanistan.
"Poland is taking over responsibility for security and development as well as future prosperity of Ghazni province. We are ready to do it and we are dedicated to do it well for the benefit of out hosts," Polish Defence Minister Bogdan Klich told troops at the change of command ceremony.
The United States has made repeated appeals for its NATO allies to send more troops to Afghanistan and allow those there to engage in combat missions without restrictions that some European nations place on their soldiers.
Poland and France have made the most significant response, with Polish troops agreeing to take responsibility for Ghazni and Paris sending 700 extra French troops to a valley in the east which is a stronghold of Taliban allies. Both France and Poland place no restrictions on their troops in the east.
HARD TASK
Some 1,200 troops moved into Ghazni four months ago under U.S. command and have repeatedly come under fire since then.
In the last six months of their tour, which began in another eastern province, Polish troops have been in combat 600 times and have been hit by more than 100 improvised explosive devices. Six Polish soldiers have been killed and 20 wounded, their outgoing commander said.
The Polish troops have brought in a number of helicopter gunships as well as their own transport aircraft, but they have a tough task ahead of them.
Ghazni, the former capital of the 11th century Ghaznavid Empire which stretched from the Caspian Sea to India, is a strategic city astride the main road from the capital, Kabul, to the southern city of Kandahar, and also routes towards Pakistan.