matrek
07.11.07, 07:04
"The escape came after the six agents spent weeks on the run in Kuwait and
Baghdad. The operation was very difficult because the Iraqis started to
suspect some kind of American-Polish intrigue.
The agents were given refuge at a Polish construction camp, and then provided
with passports and put on a refugee bus. An Iraqi soldier who was patrolling
the border had studied in Poland and knew Polish well enough to communicate.
When the bus arrived at the border, he asked one of the American spies a
question in Polish. Since the spy did not know Polish at all, he pretended to
be heavily drunk (another version states that the operative in question
fainted). Nevertheless, the bus managed to cross the border with all
occupants. Poles moved the agents out of Iraq and into the safety of Turkey.
Operatives from both sides returned to their countries. Polish forces rescued
not the agents but also secret maps—detailed maps of Baghdad and particulars
about military installations scattered throughout Iraq—apparently crucial for
Operation Desert Storm.
As a reward for Poland's help, the US government promised to cancel half, or
$16.5 billion, of Poland's foreign debt.
In at least two other operations, the Poles later aided another 15 foreigners
to escape, mostly Britons, held hostage by the Iraqis as part of Saddam
Hussein's "human shield" campaign to deter an allied invasion.
Information about this operation was first revealed in 1995 by The Washington
Post. In 1999, Polish director Władysław Pasikowski made a movie, Operacja
Samum about this operation; it was the first Polish production co-financed by
Warner Bros. and third by HBO."
No to dobry deal - 16,5 mld dolarow, za wyciagniecie z Iraku szesciu Amerykanow?
