Poland took control of a large chunk of Iraq on Wednesday, becoming the third country after the United States and Britain to accept official responsibility as an occupying force.
As the head of a 21-nation multinational force, Poland assumed command from the US Marine Corps amid pomp and ceremony in this provincial city 180km south-west of Baghdad.
”The multinational division has become a first. It was founded with the help of our American friends and thanks to the brave decision by 21 countries,” said Poland’s Major-General Andrzej Tyszkiewicz.
”Our common focus is to help Iraqi people, and to wipe out the traces of Saddam Hussein’s monstrous dictatorship and build a new basis of peaceful existence.”
Poland will have control over a region between Baghdad and Basra as commander of a 9 000-man force including elements from Bulgaria, Spain, Ukraine and other countries. — Sapa-AFP