- More than 900 troops have been sent by Poland to help secure its border with Belarus, said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak
- EU members Poland and Lithuania reported an increase in the number of migrants, including Afghanis and Iraqis, attempting to cross their borders from Belarus in recent weeks
- Belarus is accused by the EU of using the migrants to pressure it to reduce sanctions, which Minsk denies
WARSAW, Poland: More than 900 troops have been sent by Poland to help secure its border with Belarus, said Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak on Wednesday, in response to a jump in illegal border crossings.
EU members Poland and Lithuania reported an increase in the number of migrants, including Afghanis and Iraqis, attempting to cross their borders from Belarus in recent weeks.
Belarus is accused by the EU of using the migrants to pressure it to reduce sanctions, which Minsk denies.
Meanwhile, Lithuania wants the EU to impose tougher migration policies.
“The Polish Army is supporting the Border Guard in protecting our border with Belarus,” Blaszczak said on Twitter.
The Polish interior ministry, in an email, stated that more soldiers and police could be sent to the border, if necessary, adding that 2,100 people attempted to illegally cross the border with Belarus this month, including 138 over the past 24 hours, with 1,342 being stopped and 758 being detained.
In 2020, the Border Guard detained 122 illegal migrants along the border, it said.
A draft law was implemented to accelerate the deportation of illegal migrants, the Polish government stressed on Tuesday.
Private broadcaster TVN24 said some 50 migrants trapped between the Belarusian and Polish border have established a makeshift camp.
