The US Army confirmed that some of its soldiers stationed in Poland are being investigated for an altercation, in which they reportedly assaulted a local dentist and his two sons in front of other family members.
The incident happened two weeks ago on Friday night in the western Polish town of Skwierzyna, one of several hosting US troops. A dramatic first report by Polish tabloid Super Express said three Americans got into a fight after trying to force their way into an apartment building. The Polish doctor, who lives on the ground floor of the building, came out with his sons to calm down the disturbance.
Apparently the US soldiers were far better brawlers, since the three “dark-skinned two-meter high attackers”, as the Polish newspaper described them, beat up the three locals. The altercation was witnessed from the window by the doctor’s wife and the pregnant fiancée of one of the sons, the report said. The soldiers then retreated to their barracks while locals called the police and an ambulance.
US authorities pledged to get to the bottom of the issue and assured that military ties with Poland are important to Washington. “We take any allegation of Soldier misconduct seriously and are fully cooperating with Polish authorities to help determine the facts of this incident and ensure that appropriate action is taken,” Master Sgt. Nathan Hoskins told Stars and Stripes. Hoskins is a spokesman for the US military HQ in Poznan, from which all troops on forward deployment in Poland are overseen.
The US keeps its troops in Poland supposedly to deter Russian aggression. Warsaw is currently courting US President Donald Trump, trying to convince him to establish a permanent military base in Poland, which could be named after the incumbent US president.
If Trump agrees, the deployment would violate the Russia-NATO agreement, which forbids permanent deployment of foreign troops in Eastern Europe. The US and other allies currently circumvent this restriction by keeping “rotating” contingents of thousands of troops in the region as well as staging regular exercises there.