Belarus trucking migrants back to the frontier despite clearing camps: Poland

WARSAW, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Poland accused Belarus on Friday of trucking hundreds of migrants back to the border and pushing them to attempt to cross illegally, only hours after clearing camps at the frontier.

The accusation by Poland suggests an apparent change of tack this week by Minsk has not resolved the border crisis, which has spiraled into a major East-West confrontation. European governments accuse Belarus of flying in thousands of people from the Middle East and pushing them to attempt to cross the border illegally. Around 10 migrants are believed to have died in the freezing woods. Belarus denies fomenting the crisis deliberately.

Belarus authorities cleared the main camps on Thursday where thousands of people had been huddling by the Polish border. Hundreds of Iraqis were also sent home on the first repatriation flight from Minsk in months. But Polish Border Guard spokesperson Anna Michalska said that by Thursday evening Belarus authorities were already trucking hundreds of migrants back and forcing them to try to cross in darkness.