View source for Polish involvement in the Iraq War

{{Short description|none}} <!-- This short description is INTENTIONALLY "none" - please see WP:SDNONE before you consider changing it! -->
{{Multiple issues|
{{Expand Polish|Polski Kontyngent Wojskowy w Iraku
| date = 8 2023
| fa = no
}}
{{More citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{{update|date=October 2020}}
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{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict          = Polish involvement in the Iraq War
| place             = [[Multinational Division Central-South]], [[Iraq]]
| partof            = the [[Iraq War]]
| image             = Polish patrol Babylon DF-SD-04-16537.jpg
| caption           = A Polish Army soldier patrol leader debriefs his team after completing an afternoon patrol around the perimeter of Camp Babylon, Iraq.
| date              = {{start and end dates|2003|3|17|2011|12|19|df=y}}
| result            = [[Poland|Polish]] withdrawal
* Overthrow of [[Ba'athist Iraq]], see [[2003 invasion of Iraq]] for details
* Withdrawal of Polish troops alongside other international troops in 2011, see [[Iraq War]] for details
| combatant1        = {{POL}}
| combatant2        = {{flag|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} (2003)<hr>[[Iraqi insurgency (2003–2011)|Iraqi insurgents]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Ba'ath Party.svg}} [[Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region|Ba'ath Loyalists]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg}} [[Mahdi Army]] 
* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} [[Al-Qaeda in Iraq]]
| commander1        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]] ([[President of Poland|President]]; 2003-2005)
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Lech Kaczyński]] ([[President of Poland|President]]; 2005-2010)
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Bronisław Komorowski]] ([[President of Poland|President]]; 2010-2011)
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Radosław Sikorski]]
* {{flagicon|POL}} [[Bogdan Klich]]
}}
| commander2        = {{plainlist|
* {{flagicon|Ba'athist Iraq|1991}} [[Saddam Hussein]] ([[President of Iraq|President]]; 2003)
<hr>
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Ba'ath Party.svg}} [[Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg}} [[Muqtada al-Sadr]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of Promised Day Brigades.svg}} [[Abu Deraa]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of al-Qaeda in Iraq.svg}} [[Abu Musab al-Zarqawi]]
}}
| strength1         = 2,500 (2005)
| casualties1       = 28 killed{{-}}Around 150 wounded
}}

On March 17, 2003, then [[President of the Republic of Poland|Polish President]] [[Aleksander Kwaśniewski]] announced that [[Poland]] would send about 2,000 troops to the [[Persian Gulf]] to take part in the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]]. Polish soldiers had been present in the region since July 2002 and combat was first confirmed on March 24. These formed the fourth of the larger military contributions to the forces arrayed against [[Iraq]] (with the [[United States]],  Great Britain and [[Australia]]).

==Forces committed==
The original Polish contingent contained:

* 70 soldiers from the [[JW Grom]] SOF unit, already deployed to the region, before March 2003. These were joined by another 56 men, just before the invasion.
* The logistic support ship [[ORP Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki|ORP ''Kontradmirał Xawery Czernicki'']] which served as a base for special operations, included 50+ crew as well as the navy SOF unit ''[[JW Formoza]]''.
* 74 chemical-contamination personnel from 4 Brodnicki Pułk Chemiczny (4. Chemical Warfare Regiment from [[Brodnica]]).
* Another 53 men strong chemical-contamination contingent was ready to be sent to [[Turkey]], but because of the quick victory it was stopped one day before departure.

In April 2005, Poland had 2,500 troops deployed in Iraq, and was also commanding a number of other coalition troops within the Polish-led [[Multinational Division Central-South]].

==Operations by Polish forces==
{{see also|Polish zone in Iraq}}
[[File:GROM DN-SD-04-01612.JPEG|thumb|250px|GROM commandos in Umm Qasr, 28 March 2003.]]
Polish commandos took part in security operations on Iraqi oil platforms. Fearing a repeat of the destruction of Iraqi oil wells in the [[Gulf War]] by [[Saddam Hussein]], this operation aimed to prevent similar acts that would have led to pollution of the region and loss of infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news | title=SEALs give glimpse of missions in Iraq | date=2003-06-23 |accessdate=2009-06-17 | url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/military/20030627-9999_1m27seals.html | publisher=Sign on San Diego |author=Crawley, James W.}}</ref>

Polish special forces performed the operation of securing the port of [[Umm Qasr]].

==International relations==
In 2003, controversy erupted between Poland and [[France]] when Polish forces found French [[Roland (air defence)|Roland]] surface-to-air missiles that the international press reported that Polish officers claimed had been manufactured in 2003. France pointed out that the latest Roland missiles were manufactured in the early 1990s and thus the manufacturing date was necessarily an error (it turned out it was probably the expiry date that was indicated), and affirmed that it had never sold weapons to Iraq in violation of the embargo. Investigations by the Polish authorities came to the conclusion that the persons responsible for the scandal were low level commanders; [[Wojskowe Służby Informacyjne]], the Polish Army's intelligence service, had not verified their claims before they were leaked to the press.{{citation needed|reason=Poland apologized to France for the scandal, but these allegations against France worsened the already somewhat strained relationships between the two countries.|date=January 2013}}

The Foreign Minister of Poland, [[Włodzimierz Cimoszewicz]], stated in July 2003, "We have never hidden our desire for Polish [[Rationale for the Iraq War#Oil|oil companies to finally have access to sources of commodities]]"<ref>{{cite news | title=Poland seeks Iraq oil stake | date=2003-07-03 | access-date=2007-10-15 | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3043330.stm | work=BBC News }}</ref> and was criticized for that by many fellow politicians and Polish popular opinion.

== See also ==
*[[Iraq–Poland relations]]
*[[International reactions to the prelude to the Iraq War]]
*[[Polish Army]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.president.pl/x.node?id=2011993&eventId=1508071 President of Poland's decision to commit troops to Iraq]
* [http://www.polandembassy.org/News/Biuletyny_news/p2003-03-20.htm  Additional troops to leave for Iraq on the 21st]
* [http://www.piomndcs.mil.pl/ Multinational Division Central-South homepage]
* [https://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/tables/06s1286.xls U.S. Foreign Economic and Military Aid by Recipient Country: 2000 to 2003]
{{Iraq War}}
{{History of the Third Polish Republic}}
[[Category:Poland in the Iraq War| ]]
[[Category:21st-century military history of Poland|Iraq War]]
[[Category:Multinational force involved in the Iraq War|Poland]]
[[Category:History of Poland (1989–present)]]