First Polish troops leave tomorrow on "high-risk" Afghanistan mission

The first group of Polish soldiers to be deployed in Afghanistan will fly out tomorrow. "This is a high-risk mission," said deputy Defense Minister Janusz Zemke. "There is a real war out there." The first plane, an An-124 hired from Ukraine, will take off tomorrow evening from Wroclaw airport, carrying engineers, logistics specialists and commandos. Other planes will follow over the next few days. It is also possible that before the month is out, members of the GROM special forces will join the mission. The troops will be accompanied by six doctors who will take care of not only their physical health but also their psychological well-being. "This is very important. You can see different things in war," explained Zemke. (Zycie, p. 4) A.D.