Poland joins fight against Islamic State
11:14
Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz announced that Poland will join the fight against Islamic State after a meeting with US Defense Secretary Ash Carter in Brussels in exchange for NATO's stepped up presence on its Eastern flank.
"Poland has joined the actions, which are now so crucial, on NATO's southern flank," Macierewicz told reporters.
"When it comes to details ... we will continue to discuss them, particularly as we consider it in the broad context of NATO's situation, hoping that both the US and NATO as a whole will back Poland and other countries on the eastern flank with their ... permanent presence," he added.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO's increased presence in the East would be “multinational, to make it clear that an attack against one ally is an attack against all allies, and that the alliance as a whole will respond."
“It will be rotational and supported by a program of exercises; and it will be complemented by the necessary logistics and infrastructure to support pre-positioning and facilitate rapid reinforcement," Stoltenberg concluded.
Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz commented this announcement by saying that it is one of the most crucial decisions that will be made within the next few years.
