Poles getting nervous

Radio Polonia:

Is Al- Quaeda a threat to Poland?

Poland was quick to react to the terrorist ultimatum attributed to Al-Qaeda issued on the web, saying that it takes all warnings seriously. Al – Qaeda made it clear they are giving European countries present in Iraq one month to withdraw their forces. Poland is not ignoring such threats but it is not planning an early withdrawal.

Al-Qaeda has warned European nations to pull out their troops from Iraq within a month, or face more fatal attacks like the deadly London bombings. The hit list targets Denmark, Holland, the UK and Italy by name. But it didn’t exclude other countries and their military forces that are stationed on Iraqi soil. Poland has said that it is taking any terrorist threat seriously. Arkadiusz Szydłowski from the defense policy department at the Polish Ministry of Defense thinks that Poland should keep to its pledge by continuing to fight terrorism.

But just how prepared is Warsaw in the event of a possible terrorist attack? Roman Polko security adviser at the Major’s office says that city authorities have taken all the necessary steps to safeguard the city from a possible attack.

Such ultimatums are commonplace after terrorist attacks in Europe. But Professor Janusz Danecki, an expert in Arab studies, believes that such warnings will not make coalition members back down in the fight against terrorism.

Earlier this month Poland dispatched its final contingent of 1200 troops to Iraq before officially pulling out of that country at year’s end. It is the third largest contingent of forces in the US-led stabilization mission. It looks like Poland is ready to keep administering the central south sector of Iraq with a multi-national force of several thousand troops, terrorist threats, or no terrorist threats.