Poland's government said today it would keep its troops in Iraq until the end of 2006, longer than earlier planned, reaffirming its backing for the United States despite growing opposition at home.
The previous leftist government, which stood up to European Union heavyweights Germany and France by firmly supporting the US-led war in Iraq, planned to pull troops out in early 2006 after gradually reducing its forces in the course of this year.
"The government decided to ask the president to extend the deployment of Polish military forces as part of the international forces in Iraq from Jan. 1, 2006 until Dec. 31, 2006," Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz told a news conference.
"This is a very difficult decision, but we take into consideration the fact that the mandate of UN stabilisation forces has been extended to the whole of 2006 and, secondly, strong requests of Iraqi authorities that we stay there," he said.
Deputy Defence Minister Stanislaw Koziej told the news conference Poland's military force in Iraq would be reduced to 900 in March 2006. He said the focus of Poland's presence would also shift towards the training of Iraqi forces.
Poland has 1,500 troops in south-central Iraq, the fifth biggest contingent after the United States, Britain, South Korea and Italy.