Poles Report Disguised Iraqi Fighters

AP ^ | 4/2/2003 | ANDRZEJ STYLINSKI

[dfwgator]

WARSAW, Poland - Polish troops fighting with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq (news - web sites) are encountering many Iraqi combatants in civilian clothes, the commander of Poland's special forces said Wednesday.

U.S. soldiers in Iraq have reported coming under fire from civilians, and four U.S. soldiers were killed last week in a suicide attack that prompted some nervousness among coalition troops.

Poland has sent 56 members of its elite GROM commando unit to the Iraq campaign in a signal of support for the United States. Unit commander Col. Roman Polko, reporting in Warsaw on his soldiers' activities, said they had come across many Iraqis who appeared to be civilians.

"It often turns out that this is not the case," Polko told a news conference.

On Monday, at least seven women and children were killed when U.S. troops opened fire on a civilian vehicle that ignored warning shots and continued to speed toward a military checkpoint.

Polko refused to give details of GROM activities in Iraq, saying the troops' safety demanded secrecy about their location and engagements. However, he said GROM members were among Polish troops who secured oil platforms on land and sea near the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr.

Polko said he believed the U.S.-led campaign in Iraq was going according to plan and that what some might perceive as slow progress was due to an effort to minimize civilian casualties.

"The coalition's aim is not to lead to any unnecessary losses, own or among civilians," he said.

Poland, which joined NATO in 1999 together with Hungary and the Czech Republic, supports the U.S.-led war in Iraq and has contributed about 200 troops — including GROM members, a logistic vessel and an anti-chemical warfare unit.

[dfwgator]

Dziekuje bardzo, Polska!

[RetiredArmy]

At least the Poles remember who came to liberate them. They jumped in Holland on the Market-Garden operation. Too bad Montgomery was in charge of them.

[Ebenezer]

Thanks to the Poles for their help. SOLIDARITY at its best!

[ncountylee]

Not exactly historically accurate. The Russians "liberated" the Poles from Germany. But the Poles did perform wonderfully. They were often used when prisoners were thought to be unnessary. The Kurds could do that for us now.

[RetiredArmy]

Actually, I was speaking of the downfall of the Soviet Union.

[AuH2ORepublican]

God bless our Polish allies. We have to make sure to remember who was with us in Iraq, and who stayed home and tried to run interference. A good start would be moving our bases from Germany to Poland and Romania.

[First Amendment]

I am married to a wonderful Polish man who escaped right before martial law in the early 80's. His grandfather was an officer in old Poland, and single-handedly killed 13 Russian soldiers who commandeered his barn, by slitting their throats one by one. My husband's grandfather was on leave, and the Russians thought that he was just a regular farmer and demanded to sleep in the barn. So that night he crept in and killed them all. Great warrior tradition.

[sobieski]

Check your history; the Polish were the first country to defend itself when the Germans (and two weeks later the Soviets) invaded; the Polish Army "AL" were with the Russians when they took Berlin; the Poles were with us at Normandy (wonderful book "Six Armies at Normandy); the Poles were 20% of England's pilots in the Battle of Britain; the Poles were in the Italian campaign (see the battle of Monte Cassino); the Anders' Army made it from Siberia through Persia to the front (I believe that is the Army group that Begin deserted); there was No Polish Vichy government; all while more than six million Poles (3 million Jewish, 3 1/2 million Christin) were killed as untermenschen by the Germans.