WARSAW: Some 18,000 troops from 19 mostly NATO countries begin annual US-led military exercises in Poland and the Baltic states on Sunday to boost combat readiness on the alliance’s eastern flank as it faces an increasingly assertive Russia.
The eighth Saber Strike maneuvers, which will run until June 15, come after it was revealed Poland is considering a proposal to welcome a permanent deployment of US troops to the country.
A Polish defense ministry “information document” emerged this week showing that Warsaw could spend between $1.5 to $2 billion (1.3 to 1.7 billion euros) to help cover the cost of stationing a US tank unit in Poland.
The proposal triggered immediate criticism from Moscow, with the Kremlin insisting that any such deployment “will not benefit in any way the security and stability on the continent.”
The US has ramped up its presence on NATO’s eastern flank and notably Poland since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.
The US army set up a new European headquarters in Poland in May 2017 to command some 6,000 of its troops deployed in NATO and Pentagon operations in the region.
The move was one of the largest deployments of US forces in Europe since the Cold War and was meant to reassure NATO’s easternmost allies spooked by Russia’s frequent military exercises near their borders and the Crimea annexation.
The US also leads a multi-national NATO battle group in Poland. Germany, Britain and Canada command three others in nearby Baltic states Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, where Saber Strike maneuvers are planned.
Speaking in Warsaw on Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he expected leaders at a July NATO summit in Brussels to “make decisions on reinforcement, readiness and military mobility” of forces in Europe, particularly with regard to the four battle groups deployed in 2016.
Further cementing strong defense ties with Washington, Poland signed a $4.75-billion (3.8-billion-euro) contract in March to purchase a US-made Patriot anti-missile system, in its largest-ever weapons deal.
Moscow complained about the prospect of the deployment of Patriot systems in Poland and Romania, which it says violates a 1987 arms treaty and could be tailored to shoot missiles at Russia.
In February, Lithuania accused Russia of permanently deploying nuclear-capable Iskander ballistic missiles to its Kaliningrad exclave.
This year’s Saber Strike maneuvers will be partly held in this sensitive region.
US Army to launch war games on NATO’s eastern flank
US Army to launch war games on NATO’s eastern flank
UN calls for calm as dozens injured in Mali opposition protest
- The opposition said some 30 people were hospitalized after security forces fired “live ammunition”
BAMAKO: The UN has called for calm in Mali after dozens of people were hurt during banned opposition protests in Bamako, sparking calls for the prime minister to resign two months ahead of a presidential election.
The opposition said some 30 people were hospitalized — including prominent opposition figure Etienne Fabaka Sissoko who was left “in a coma” — after security forces fired “live ammunition” at protesters on Saturday.
The government rejected the claims outright.
“It is absolutely false to say that shots were fired using live ammunition,” a source close to the security ministry told AFP.
Earlier Sunday, the ministry said the security forces were bound by three words — “professionalism, courtesy and firmness” and that the police had acted to maintain public order.
It denounced the protesters for having injured a policeman in the head.
A “transparency” rally outside the party headquarters of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita attracted several hundred people.
Police fired tear gas and beat demonstrators with batons, according to an AFP reporter at the scene. Clashes also took place in other locations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who visited Mali last week, called late Saturday for “calm and restraint by all parties.”
“(He) calls on the Malian government to ensure the protection of fundamental human rights and freedom of expression to peaceful demonstrations, including in the context of the ongoing state of emergency,” a UN statement said.
Mali is one of the so-called “G5 Sahel” states — along with Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger — which have launched joint operations against militant groups.
Most protests are banned as the nation has lived under a near-constant state of emergency since an attack on a hotel in Bamako in November 2015 left 20 people dead.
“In a dozen places, unarmed protesters were attacked with tear gas and clubs,” the office of opposition presidential candidate Soumaila Cisse said in a statement.
“The headquarters of the ADP (Alliance for Democracy and Progress) was attacked by police special forces, who threw grenades. The prime minister’s security services fired live ammunition at protesters gathered” in front of the building, the statement charged.
“Three opposition leaders were violently beaten on the head with clubs and batons,” it added.
“The intention of the government was clear: to terrorize the opposition and all democratic forces.”
The statement also called for “the resignation of the prime minister.”
The demonstrations come ahead of July 29 elections in which Mali President Keita, 73, will face more than a dozen challengers.
The opposition has called for equal access to public radio and television for campaigning.
“The UN secretary-general regrets the government-imposed ban on the demonstrations by opposition parties,” the UN said.
“(He) urges political actors and the civil society to favor dialogue in order to maintain an environment conducive to the holding of credible and transparent elections.”
Opposition leaders have called for new demonstrations next Friday.
