Posted on 01/04/2009 11:14:45 AM PST by lizol
Polish Special Forces to fight Somali pirates
Created: 03.01.2009 10:02
Polish Special Forces from the Operation Mobile Reaction Group (GROM) are to join European Union troops fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Several dozen commandos are scheduled to go to Somalia to take part in the EU anti-piracy operation, code-named Atalanta.
The idea arose when, in November, the Saudi based tanker, ‘Sirius Star,’ with a crew including two Poles - the captain and a crew member - on board plus 2 million barrels of oil. The pirates are demanding 25 million dollars in ransom money.
Somali pirates have been responsible for the hijacking of many ships since the outbreak of civil war in the country in the 1990s. In last 12 months the Kenyan government estimates that up to 150 million dollars has been been given over the pirates in ransom.
While the Ministry of Defence refuses to confirm the story published in the Rzeczpospolita daily, the EU mission itself, Operation Atalanta, started in the middle of December off the coast of Somalia. It is the first sea-operation of it’s kind by the EU and is composed of three airplanes from France, Germany and the UK and well as operatives from various member states.
Rzeczpospolita reports that the forces from GROM - a kind of Polish equivalent to the SAS - will leave in several weeks, when the government and President approve the mission. Minister of Defence, Bogdan Klich, has already put the proposal before the Council of Ministers at the last meeting of 2008.
Not a good time for the old “Yo ho ho” crowd.
I can think of no one I had rather have on my side than those Poles.
There’s a ‘stars ‘n stripes’ in that gaggle of boats. Are they in a US port?
good time for pirates to find another line of work. GROM will pretty much ruin your whole day...
Hopefully they’ll kill the pirates, not arrest them or scare them away.
Those are Polish and American boats - some joint operation (probably in Iraq).
GROM are soldiers, not SWAT police officers.
Their task is to eliminate enemies, not to arrest them.
Poles fighting Muslims is bad news for the Muslims.... Especially if some of the soldiers are descended from King of Poland John III Sobieski.
The best justice is quick and inexpensive.
Prior to today I was totally unaware that Poland had these elite forces. Modeled after US Delta Force and the British SAS, and established with the help of US and British "experts".
It is axiomatic, then, that these forces would be very good.
Yeee-HAW! Those guys will be kicking butt and taking names! Go, GROM!
Excellent — good hunting!
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