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Poles Help Iraqis, Face Death



imageWarsaw, Poland. -- On September 24, Polish Radio Foreign Service reported: "Little Jannat had been the focus of Polish media from the day she arrived in Wroclaw two months ago." The girl was transported to Poland, thanks to the assistance and medical care of the Polish military contingent stationed in Iraq. This was coupled with the sincere cooperation of local authorities and organizations from Lower Silesia, where the girl was brought with her father and grandfather as guardians.

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The girl had a serious heart condition and only complicated surgery could help save her life. Jannat's successful operation and subsequent recovery had been followed with great interest by Polish society and the biggest reward for all had been the great smile on the girl's face when she was leaving for home a week ago. Three days later came the shocking news of her death in Baghdad. Speculations as to the reasons of the tragedy prompted Polish prosecutors to launch an official investigation into the child's sudden death. Lt. Artur Pinkowski from the Polish military mission in the Iraqi capital said the doctors tried hard to help Jannat. "The girl died at six in the morning in a Baghdad hospital due to liver and lung problems. We did our best to save her. She felt very well for two days after her return.'" The little Iraqi girl probably did not receive drugs after her return home. She couldn't stay longer in Poland for her family wanted her back. FIGHTING, DYING AND HELPING The Polish contingent serving in Iraq has dropped in number from some 2,500 to less 900. But it doesn't mean the Polish troops will withdraw soon from their mission. In spite of public opinion polls showing recently that 81% of the population in Poland wants 'our boys' back home, the government maintains its strong stand: The mission has to be accomplished. When? Probably in 2008, depending on the development of the political and military situation in Iraq. Polish troops generally don't take part in American "Iraq surge" operations, providing cover for U.S. soldiers and hunting al Qaeda and other terrorists, with some visible success. But Polish soldiers try to do their best to help Iraqi people rebuild their homes, schools and other installations, spending millions of dollars from the funds allotted to them. Apart from one case, investigated and tried in court, there were no major examples of corruption in the Polish Contingent. The service is voluntary, and despite several casualties among soldiers and officers, Polish troops' morale is high. LIVE TARGETS Poles in Iraq, both soldiers and civilians, are now live targets for terrorists. This seems inevitable, because their presence in that country and their affiliation to the U.S., British and other alliance members, their support for the Iraqi government and their engagement in the securing and reforming of that country is no one's secret. There were no known abuses from the part of the Polish people serving or working in Iraq. On the contrary, there had been many positive initiatives, respecting the traditional customs, religion and laws of the Iraqi people. But it is difficult to build anything when rebels and terrorists do their utmost to divide the population and to destroy everything they can reach. One example: a friend of mine who is a known architect, offered to design a hospital for Iraq. He had won a competition and was invited to carry out his project, financed by the government of Japan. He went to Amman, in Jordan, to meet the Japanese and to plan for the development of his project. It was two years ago. No hospital could be built until now. The Japanese withdrew because of lack of security in Iraq. Recently, my friend offered his $ 2.0 million worth project to the government of Afghanistan. Free of charge. No answer so far, maybe the situation there is so unstable as in Iraq. Nobody wants to become a live target, while helping others to survive. But this is inevitable in Iraq now. Serving, dying and helping... POLISH ELECTIONS October 21, there will be parliamentary elections in Poland. The pre-election campaign is very tough and sometimes dirty. Accusations fly from party to party, politician to politician. One of the arguments against the present Polish government is that of their support for the "American dirty war" in Iraq and Afghanistan. A typical 'peacenik' argument, well known from the past war in Vietnam. We never fought a war in Vietnam, Americans did. But we can't deny we were fighting in Afghanistan and in Iraq, and now we are strongly engaged in peacekeeping there, which also means to fight in battles. Poland is member of NATO and an ally of the United States. Before we were forced to be members of the Warsaw Pact and we remained under Soviet command. Now we can decide what to do ourselves. The election campaign is a good opportunity to express public views. The majority of the Poles would like to withdraw our troops from Iraq and Afghanistan. It's a normal attitude. And the terrorists also want the same. They are trying to "help" us to make the "right" decision. How? Just by killing, kidnapping, bombing our soldiers and civilians in Iraq. On October 3, a triple explosion hit a Polish Embassy convoy in Baghdad, killing a security officer and seriously wounding the Polish Ambassador, 59-year-old general Edward Pietrzyk. He is in an induced coma now in a Polish hospital. A brave man. The security officer was brought home in a casket. His funeral was held a few days ago. On Monday, October 8, more bombs exploded in the vicinity of the Polish Embassy in Baghdad. Nobody from the Embassy was hurt, but the explosion was so powerful it opened windows in the building. Was that also a warning? Perhaps. On March11, 2004, ten bombs exploded by al Qaeda terrorists on Madrid trains killed 192 and wounded 2050. The bombings served to "split Spain from allies". The terrorists were happy: after the elections, Spain withdrew its troops from Iraq. Should we follow the example of Spain and allow ourselves to be forced to withdraw now, following the elections on October 21? Could we expect a terrorist attack on Poland's soil yet? I don't think so. The Polish people have an obstinate character: the more some foreign force press us, the more we resist. We shall withdraw our troops from Iraq, but not under terrorist pressure. It must be our own decision taken in our own national interest.


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David M. Dastych -- Bio and Archives

David Dastych passed away Sept.11, 2010.

See:David Dastych Dead at 69


David was a former Polish intelligence operative, who served in the 1960s-1980s and was a double agent for the CIA from 1973 until his arrest in 1987 by then-communist Poland on charges of espionage. Dastych was released from prison in 1990 after the fall of communism and in the years since has voluntarily helped Western intelligence services with tracking the nuclear proliferation black market in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. After a serious injury in 1994 confined him to a wheelchair, Dastych began a second career as an investigative journalist covering terrorism, intelligence and organized crime.

Other articles by David Dastych

 


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