Poland planning pull-out of troops from Iraq

[radfringe]

Poland planning pull-out of troops from Iraq
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2004/0420/3783682793HM1SCALLY.html
Derek Scally, in Warsaw

Poland is planning to withdraw its troops from Iraq in the coming months, dealing another blow to the US-led coalition forces there.

The revelation yesterday by a senior government adviser that Poland's 2,500 soldiers would leave Iraq comes just a day after the new Spanish Prime Minister, Mr José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, announced the pull-out of Spanish troops "as soon as possible".

---snip---

A senior adviser to the Polish government confirmed to The Irish Times that Warsaw's decision had been influenced by the Spanish move. "Given the circumstances , we will probably diminish significantly the forces at the end of 2004," said Prof Tadeusz Iwinski, secretary of state for international affairs in the office of the prime minister.

Questioned further by The Irish Times, he said: "It is much easier to send troops in than to withdraw them, but we will probably do it at the end of 2004 or the start of 2005."

As well as 2,500 soldiers, Poland commands a 9,000-strong division of troops from 24 nations, including 1,300 Spanish soldiers. Poland and Spain had worked closely as both political and military allies over Iraq.

[frank frankly]

1. good

i hope for more and more of our "coalition" partners leave and then we leave!

[wHACKo]

12. Why wait?

I'm with Frank Frankly (sort of), but why wait? Since we had such fun leading the "coalition of the willing" into Iraq, shouldn't we be in the lead getting out? Oh, uh . . . too late, I guess. DOH!

[megaplayboy]

2. Spain, Honduras, Poland, and one more...

That's 4 out of 34, so far. With the bombings in Basra, look for the Brits to start looking nervously at their watches.

[BostonTeaParty04]

3. Dominican Republic

*

[megaplayboy]

5. thanks

slipped my mind

[0007]

20. Didn't Thailand say they were pulling out also?

[calimary]

27. I just called Chuck Hagel's office (which, BTW, you can do TOLL FREE)

and URGED that Hagel stop talking about a possible draft and GET OUR TROOPS HOME.

By the way - my sig line has the TOLL FREE details...

THEY NEED TO HEAR THIS, FOLKS! THEY NEED TO KNOW THE POLL NUMBERS DO NOT REFLECT HOW MUCH OF AMERICA FEELS! THEY NEED TO KNOW WE ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT SAFER BECAUSE OF WHAT THIS WHITE HOUSE HAS DONE, AND THAT THE VIOLENCE IN IRAQ WILL ONLY GET WORSE - CHIEFLY BECAUSE WE ARE THERE - AGGRAVATING THE SITUATION WITH OUR VERY PRESENCE.

Sorry to yell, but Dear Lord, I am FRUSTRATED!!!! I've been calling people all over Capitol Hill and complaining all morning...

[pinniped]

4. Uh oh, war mongering morans will call for Poland to be invaded again.

:eyes:

[German-Lefty]

6. No, say it ain't so Poland.

Ok, well I guess they'll stick around till the end of the year still. Unless they move up thier exit time like the Spanish.

[psychopomp]

7. Poland oversees one of three partitions

with the U.S. and the U.K. overseeing the others. Included in the Polish juristiction of Iraq is Samarra, where the Japanese have their base. PM Koizumi has promised to stay the course and continue the mission but the winds have changed and it will be harder for Japan to remain, at least in the longer term.

[salin]

16. in Bush's press conference last week... multiple times he referred to:

"The Polish Led Coalition" as if to give bigger weight to the multinational flavor of the "coalition" forces in Iraq. Indeed NATO Forces, said W, would take over under the Polish Led Coalition, for primary responsibility of security (during some point of his time line he reiterated as if a time line was a sign of careful Pentagon Planning.) Little hard to use that cover when Poland pulls.

[psychopomp]

8. Sorry, double post (n/t)

[buldra]

9. Yeah!

I really love it!

[leftchick]

10. what do you think buldra?

Do you think Italy will follow soon?

[saigon68]

11. The Italians will stay til the next outrage

Then when the political winds blow from the North, it will be adios--game-set-match

Hi LC

[leftchick]

13. morning saigon.....tell me please...

I was out of town for a few days and missed a lot of news. I did catch something about a 2000lb bomb on Fallujah Friday right before I went to bed. I looked for it on the "news" all weekend and found zip! Did that happen or did I have too much to drink Fri. night? Thanks!

[saigon68]

14. I do remember that. They took out a house w/ Resistance in it.

There is so much going on, it is hard to keep it all straight.

Welcome back, there are a number of stooges who have returned under new names.

I don't know why they don't just stay at the Fresno website and leave us alone

Oh well--welcome back--- it bodes ill--especially with bombings in Basra

[0007]

19. Italy will be going soon, won't be long for outrage to hit

the political circle.

[psychopomp]

21. Won't the outrage be channeled into longing for revenge?

Or, are the Italians not like us from the U.S.A? Apologies, I have not kept up on the Italian citizenry's reaction to the murder of the Italian hostage.

[newyawker99]

28. Hi buldra!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[dbt]

15. You'd think Poland, of all countries, would have seen through

this Amerikan charade LONG before now. Poland should know all about small countries being invaded by larger ones for profit, no?

:freak:
dbt

[sniffa]

17. a broad coaLition

poLand is now part of oLd europe... honduras is part of oLd centraL america.

[ze_dscherman]

18. No other confirmation, no picking up of this report

Google does not find another confirmation of this story, but instead lots of blather the Polish would stay.

I'm a bit cautious of this news.

[ze_dscherman]

23. Happy to be wrong

Similar news have been reported lately. Happy to be wrong!

See: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x500971

[Iceburg]

22. When does the "coalition of the willing" become the "DYAD of the Dolts?

A chimp speaking in tongues and his poodle out to conquer planet earth. Hahaha

Back to the question ... very soon, I hope.

[DS1]

24. Looks like Bush is going to get his face covered in something

:evilgrin:

[maddezmom]

25. Polish troops will stay in Iraq despite Spanish withdrawal, official says

http://www.boston.com/dailynews/112/world/Polish_troops_will_stay_in_Ira:.shtml

[peterh]

26. I’m getting a different read on this….

Can’t link to it, but it looks like they are staying….for now….



WARSAW (AP)--Poland is not considering a troop pullout from Iraq even though
the country's outgoing prime minister said that Spain's plans to withdraw cannot
be ignored, the government spokesman said Wednesday.
"Poland will be in Iraq as long as it necessary, until the situation there is
stabilized," spokesman Marcin Kaszuba told The Associated Press. "Poland has not
and is not considering a troop withdrawal."
Earlier, the Polish news agency PAP quoted Prime Minister Leszek Miller as
saying that Poland "cannot turn a blind eye" to the Spanish pullout - comments
hinting that Warsaw may be having doubts about its Iraq mission.
But Kaszuba said Miller only meant to restate the government's position "that
the government is not considering increasing its contingent" in Iraq.

[struggle4progress]

29. Yeah, they threatened to pull out about a month ago ...

and the big bad * threatened to eat Granny, so they backed off. You should be able to find some older LBN threads. This thread is "everybody saves face."

[Manix]

30. ....send the chickenhawks to the frontline when everybody has left

[Aidoneus]

31. The Bulgarians will probably follow them

They cannot handle Karbala` on their own.. US or British invaders will probably take their place.