Poland to double troops number at border with Belarus, accuses it of organizing illegal migration

WARSAW, Poland — The Polish government announced Wednesday that it is planning to deploy an additional 2,000 troops to its border with Belarus, twice the number the Border Guard agency had requested, as fears of illegal migration rise. In an interview with state news agency PAP, a deputy interior minister, Maciej Wasik announced the decision and accused the Belarusian authorities of organizing illegal migration. He said migration pressure on the Polish-Belarusian border area is growing, although it cannot compare to the situation two years ago. At the time, large numbers of migrants from the Middle East and Africa arrived at the border, their travel there facilitated by flights and visas provided by the Minsk government — something Warsaw considered to be a form of “hybrid warfare.” “If we had real border guards on the other side and not a smuggling service, these crossings would not exist at all,” Wasik said.