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Refugee crisis in Europe

Poland increases troop numbers on Belarus border to 12,000 — Defense Ministry

It was previously reported that the Territorial Defense Force troops were put on full alert in order to bolster the Polish Border Guard

© EPA-EFE/ARTUR RESZKO

WARSAW, November 8. /TASS/. The authorities of Poland have boosted the number of troops on the country’s border with Belarus to over 12,000 in response to a surge in illegal migration, Polish National Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said Monday.

"Over 12,000 troops are on the border now. We have also raised the readiness level of the Territorial Defense Force (a National Guard-type military branch largely made up of part-time volunteer soldiers - TASS). We are ready to defend the country’s border together with the forces of the Interior Ministry," he wrote on Twitter.

It was previously reported that the Territorial Defense Force troops were put on full alert in order to bolster the Polish Border Guard. Three of its brigades have been mobilized in the country’s eastern areas.

Earlier in the day, the Belarus State Border Committee said that around 1,000 refugees were moving across the country toward the border with Poland. The Polish side described the situation as an attempt at a mass border crossing by force.

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