Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz announced that selected divisions of the Polish army, including the 18th Mechanized Division, known as the "Iron Division," would be deployed at the start of next month.
The government plans an operation dubbed "Safe Podlasie," in which up to 17,000 troops will participate, Kosiniak-Kamysz said, adding that currently about 6,000 troops are stationed at the border.
He told reporters that additional forces and resources could be moved to the area in the future if needed.
Of the 17,000 designated soldiers, 8,000 will operate directly on the border with Belarus, while 9,000 will remain in strategic reserve, Kosiniak-Kamysz said.
The new mission will replace two ongoing operations, "training and border protection," starting August 1, he added.
Interior Minister Tomasz Siemoniak said that the introduction of a buffer zone at the Belarus border over a month ago has significantly reduced illegal border crossing attempts.
"Since the buffer zone has been in effect, the number of attempts to illegally cross the border has fallen by half," Siemoniak told reporters on Wednesday.
He added that the reduction is a result of moving people smugglers away from the border, addressing both criminal activities and "hybrid aggression" from Belarusian and Russian security services.
(jh/gs)
Source: IAR
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Marcin Matuszewski.
