WARSAW: Poland on Wednesday received a first shipment of US-made advanced Abrams tanks, its defense minister said, as the country boosts its military capabilities in light of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The authorities in Warsaw ordered a total of 366 Abrams tanks from the United States, with the first batch comprising 14 tanks which arrived at the port city of Szczecin.
“The first tanks are already on Polish soil, it’s an important day for the Polish army,” Poland’s Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak told reporters.
“This year we will have more tanks and they will form a battalion of Abrams tanks,” Blaszczak said, hailing the US-made Abrams as “the best tanks in the world.”
The shipment is part of a deal worth $1.4 billion for 116 M1A1 Abrams tanks that were previously used by the US Marine Corps.
Last year, Poland bought another 250 Abrams in a more modern M1A2 variant, which are expected to be delivered in late 2024.
“Not every country can have such tanks, Poland is the first country outside the United States that will have Abrams tanks in the most modern version,” Blaszczak added.
Poland, a NATO and EU member and staunch ally of Ukraine, announced in January that it plans to spend four percent of its gross domestic product on defense this year.
Warsaw has signed multiple arm deals, including with the United States and South Korea, from whom it ordered K2 “Black Panther” tanks and K9 howitzers.
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Poland gets first batch of US-made Abrams tanks
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Poland gets first batch of US-made Abrams tanks
- Warsaw ordered a total of 366 Abrams tanks from the United States, with the first batch comprising 14 tanks which arrived at the port city of Szczecin
Chile police arrest suspect over deadly wildfires
- Suspect used a liquid accelerant to start fires in a wheat field, with authorities seizing five liters of fuel from him
LIRQUEN, Chile: Police in south-central Chile have arrested a man on suspicion of starting one of the recent wildfires that killed 21 people and razed entire neighborhoods, the government said Wednesday.
Security Minister Luis Cordero said the suspect used a liquid accelerant to start fires in a wheat field, with authorities seizing five liters (more than a gallon) of fuel from him.
He was arrested at dawn in the town of Perquenco in Araucania region, south of Biobio.
The fires began simultaneously on Saturday in various parts of Biobio and Nuble regions, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the capital Santiago.
Fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, the flames quickly ripped through the coastal towns of Penco, Lirquen and Punta de Parra, leaving a blackened landscape of smoldering ruins.
Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde told a press conference on Wednesday that an estimated 20,000 people suffered property damage from the fires, including some 800 homes that were destroyed.
President Gabriel Boric visited Biobio on Wednesday, where he said: “We’re working with heavy machinery to clear streets and remove debris, and we continue fighting the fire.
“We’re still in a state of emergency,” he added.
Other fires were later reported further inland, in the Biobio town of Florida, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the city of Concepcion and in Araucania.
Cordero said substances used to start fires, including plastic containers containing accelerant, were found in Concepcion.
Firefighters were still battling 35 blazes Wednesday — 22 in Biobio, five in Nuble and eight in Araucania, according to national forestry officials.
A drop in temperature in recent days has helped ease the situation.
“We managed to reduce the intensity of the fire,” Carlos Zulieta, a firefighter in Florida said, adding that it was now advancing “more slowly.”
The government said it would pay compensation of $700 to $1,500 to victims.
Aid began trickling into affected areas on Wednesday.
Municipal workers and private companies were delivering portable toilets and generators to Lirquen, where some families are camped out in the ruins of their homes.
In February 2024, wildfires broke out around the coastal resort of Vina del Mar, 110 kilometers from Santiago, leaving 138 dead.
Investigations revealed that firefighters and forestry brigade members started the fire, which spread rapidly due in part to high temperatures during the southern hemisphere’s summer.
Security Minister Luis Cordero said the suspect used a liquid accelerant to start fires in a wheat field, with authorities seizing five liters (more than a gallon) of fuel from him.
He was arrested at dawn in the town of Perquenco in Araucania region, south of Biobio.
The fires began simultaneously on Saturday in various parts of Biobio and Nuble regions, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) south of the capital Santiago.
Fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, the flames quickly ripped through the coastal towns of Penco, Lirquen and Punta de Parra, leaving a blackened landscape of smoldering ruins.
Interior Minister Alvaro Elizalde told a press conference on Wednesday that an estimated 20,000 people suffered property damage from the fires, including some 800 homes that were destroyed.
President Gabriel Boric visited Biobio on Wednesday, where he said: “We’re working with heavy machinery to clear streets and remove debris, and we continue fighting the fire.
“We’re still in a state of emergency,” he added.
Other fires were later reported further inland, in the Biobio town of Florida, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of the city of Concepcion and in Araucania.
Cordero said substances used to start fires, including plastic containers containing accelerant, were found in Concepcion.
Firefighters were still battling 35 blazes Wednesday — 22 in Biobio, five in Nuble and eight in Araucania, according to national forestry officials.
A drop in temperature in recent days has helped ease the situation.
“We managed to reduce the intensity of the fire,” Carlos Zulieta, a firefighter in Florida said, adding that it was now advancing “more slowly.”
The government said it would pay compensation of $700 to $1,500 to victims.
Aid began trickling into affected areas on Wednesday.
Municipal workers and private companies were delivering portable toilets and generators to Lirquen, where some families are camped out in the ruins of their homes.
In February 2024, wildfires broke out around the coastal resort of Vina del Mar, 110 kilometers from Santiago, leaving 138 dead.
Investigations revealed that firefighters and forestry brigade members started the fire, which spread rapidly due in part to high temperatures during the southern hemisphere’s summer.
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