Poland on Friday said it was expelling two Belarusian diplomats in a dispute over the memorialisation of Polish troops who fought against the Nazi and Soviet occupations but also targeted Belarusians. The move comes after Belarus said Thursday it was expelling two Polish diplomats -- the latest twist in a row over an event in Belarus honouring these fighters, known as Poland's "cursed soldiers". Belarus and Poland had previously expelled one diplomat each earlier in the week as part of the spat. Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Marcin Przydacz said on Twitter that, given Belarus' "continued unfriendly gestures", Poland had decided to expel two Belarusian consuls based in Warsaw and Bialystok in eastern Poland. The "cursed soldiers" initially fought against German occupation and later turned against Soviet occupiers, often acting violently against non-Poles, especially Belarusians. Their resistance against Soviet power lasted into the 1950s. Relations between Belarus and its neighbour Poland have also been strained recently after protests broke out last August against the disputed reelection of Belarus's strongman leader Alexander Lukashenko. EU member nation Poland has sheltered Belarusian activists that have fled across the border to escape a crackdown on the opposition. sw-dt/amj/jv