Poland slams Belarus, sends extra troops to border

Poland blamed Belarus on Monday for what Polish officials described as an "organized storming" of the border after four people were discovered dead in the region on the previous day. The victims are believed to be refugees who were trying to reach Polish territory. Poland, unlike Belarus, is an EU member.

Warsaw is sending an additional 500 troops and special vehicles to the border region to strengthen it against increasing migrant pressures, which the government says is being conducted by Belarus and Russia to destabilize the EU and its 27 member states.

Poland to prepare 'for any scenario'

"We are dealing with a well-organized action directed from Minsk and Moscow," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki told reporters on Monday.

"We will defend Poland's border with full determination," Morawiecki said after a meeting with Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski and the head of the Border Guards.

Kaminski tweeted: "We must be prepared for any scenario, which is why we are increasing border protection even more."

He added the extra troops and eight specialized vehicles will be sent to the border this week.

Polish officials said Sunday the bodies of three men, believed to be Iraqi nationals, were found on the Polish side of the border while Belarusian authorities announced an Iraqi woman was found within a meter of the border.

Tit-for-tat

Poland and Lithuania have said the border incidents are part of an "attack" by the regime of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk with the sole purpose of destabilizing the EU.

The West believes Belarus' actions are an act of revenge for the sanctions imposed on Minsk.

The sanctions were a response to Lukashenko's continued oppression of political opposition to his nearly three decades of rule.

jsi/dj (dpa, AP)