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Polish Envoy Injured In Iraq Attack

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By KIM CURTIS, The Associated Press

Published: October 4, 2007

BAGHDAD - A daring ambush of bombs and gunfire left Poland's ambassador burned and pinned down in a flaming vehicle Wednesday before he was pulled to safety and airlifted in a rescue mission by the embattled security company Blackwater USA.

At least three people were killed, including a Polish bodyguard.

The attack - apparently well-planned in one of Baghdad's most secure neighborhoods - raised questions about whether it sought to punish Poland for its contributions to the U.S.-led military force in Iraq. Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said Poland would not retreat 'in the face of terrorists.'

The diplomatic convoy was hit by three bombs. Attackers then opened fire in the Shiite-controlled Karradah district.

Polish guards returned fire as the injured ambassador, Gen. Edward Pietrzyk, was pulled from his burning vehicle. At least 10 people, including four Polish security agents, were wounded.

U.S. Embassy officials dispatched Blackwater helicopters to evacuate the ambassador and others. Blackwater was not involved in protecting the Polish convoy.

Pietrzyk, who commanded Polish ground forces before becoming ambassador in April, suffered minor burns over 20 percent of his body, including his head, right arm and leg, said Polish Charge d'Affaires Waldemar Figaj. 'They were waiting for us,' he told The Associated Press.

Shortly after the assault, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki renewed his government's offensive against Blackwater.

'There have been 190 victims of Blackwater. ... The kind of accusations leveled against the company means it is not fit to work in Iraq,' he said at a news conference.

It was not known whether al-Maliki knew Blackwater rescued the Polish envoy. It also was unclear whether the 190 victims represented a new figure arising from an Iraqi investigation or a reference to the 195 incidents involving the U.S. security company outlined in a House report.

Congress is looking into Blackwater's role in a Sept. 16 shootout that left 11 Iraqis dead in a west Baghdad intersection and other incidents by the Moyock, N.C.-based company, which protects U.S. diplomats and others in Iraq.

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