1,000 Polish troops more to Afghanistan

WARSAW, Poland, May 10 (UPI) -- Poland plans to sent 1,000 more troops to Afghanistan to join NATO forces fighting Taliban and al-Qaida rebels, Poland Radio reported Thursday.

Polish troops already in Afghanistan number about 500, of whom 100 were deployed last year and 400 earlier this year.

Abdul Haider, Afghan ambassador to Poland, said Warsaw's efforts to beef up its contigent symbolize the strength of strong links between the two countries.

Krzysztof Bobinski of the Polish Institute of International Affairs said dispatching additional troops to Afghanistan "will be a hard pill to swallow for plenty of Poles."

Bobinski said firing rockets and guns is not the way to win the war. He suggested government reform and economic development as more effective tools.

The report said a recent public poll indicated nearly 80 percent of Poles are against involvement in Afghanistan.