OPERATIONAL-MANOEUVRE RESPONSE GROUP (“GROM”)
For many years, special units and airborne troops have been a permanent elite component of the armed forces of many countries around the world. With the increase in global terrorism, organized crime and violence, and the outbreak of new local armed conflicts on political, ethnic, religious, and social grounds in various regions of the world, introducing such elite and well-trained units that can be at any time quickly deployed to any corner of the globe has become necessary for the strategic interests of many countries and the sense of safety and comfort of their citizens. These elite units provide states with a “tool” to pursue their global security policy and their strategic interests.
Small special operation units and well-trained airborne troops that are capable of conducting special operations around the world, reconnaissance, guerrilla warfare, fighting terrorism, freeing hostages and prisoners of war, and successfully capturing and holding strategic facilities located in enemy territory or controlled and administered by the enemy until support arrives automatically increase the prestige and position of states in the international arena.
Dating back to the 1963 January Uprising, Poland is among the handful of countries around the world with well-trained special forces and airborne troops with considerable combat experience and rich traditions in their organization and training.
JW GROM, a special operations unit that was originated, co-organised and first headed by the late Brigadier General Sławomir PETELICKI, is the crown jewel of the contemporary special operations forces of the Polish Army.
General Petelicki came up with the idea of creating a special elite unit that could freely operate in any corner of the world during his official stay in the United States in the 1970s. He had been interested in special forces and airborne troops since secondary school and had dreamed of becoming an operator himself one day. In this way, he had wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father and grandfather who had served in the Polish Army during World War II and shed their blood for their country. During his official stay in the United States as a young civilian intelligence officer, he became particularly interested in the activities of US Navy SEALs and the British 22nd Special Air Service (SAS). Unfortunately, Stanisław Petelicki’s ideas concerning the establishment of such elite unit in Poland that could operate anywhere in the world were not met with any interest on the part of his superiors for geopolitical reasons, among other things. He had to wait until the early 1990s and the transformation of the political system.
The need to organise such a unit was only made clear to the Polish authorities by events directly related to the Operation BRIDGE in which Poland decided to participate. The operation involved relocating Russian Jews emigrating from the Soviet Union to Israel. Since its beginning, Poland had become exposed to attacks by such groups as Hezbollah and the General Command of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. International counter-terrorism experts unequivocally stated that Poland was not adequately prepared for this type of threat and that establishing a specialised type of troops capable of undertaking special operations at home and abroad was in its best interest. Some Ministry of the Interior officials came to similar conclusions after observing support operations undertaken by British and Israeli counter-terrorism units.
In retaliation for the Polish government’s involvement in relocating Russian Jews from the Soviet Union to Israel, on 30 March 1990 Arab terrorists severely wounded Bogdan Serkis, commercial attaché with the Polish embassy in Lebanon and representative of the Polish Foreign Trade Enterprise, and his wife. Sławomir Petelicki, then lieutenant colonel serving as head of the overseas mission security division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, was sent to Lebanon to ensure the protection of Polish citizens and their safe evacuation to Poland.
After returning to Poland, Sławomir Petelicki presented to the then Minister of Internal Affairs Krzysztof Kozlowski his concept of a special military unit that would be capable, among other things, of rescuing Polish citizens in similar situations. He also proposed its future manner of organisation and structure, primarily modelled on the British 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS), the US Delta Force, and the German GSG-9. After this concept was approved, Sławomir Petelicki was given all necessary authorizations and a green light to organise his dream elite formation and recruit the right people. In a way, this made Minister Kozlowski the godfather of the Special Military Formation GROM.
At the initiative of Sławomir Petelicki, an elite unit was established on 13 July 1990 to perform counter-terrorist tasks and special operations, reconnaissance, diversion, and rescue operations (e.g. freeing hostages held by terrorists) both in Poland and overseas. The new unit was assigned number 2305 and the name Special Operations Formation GROM (invented personally by General Petelicki). “GROM” (Polish for Thunder) is an acronym for Operational-Manoeuvre Response Group (Mobile). The intention behind General Petelicki’s idea for the unit’s name was to symbolise the purpose of its soldiers who could strike the enemy any time and anywhere, unexpected like a thunder from clear skies.
In addition, General Petelicki as the creator and first commander of the Special Operations Formation GROM frequently said that the unit’s name also referred symbolically to General Gromosław Czempiński who, as the Director of Operations in the Polish intelligence services, had commanded the successful and daring operation to save Central Intelligence Agency personnel from imminent death and deportation in Iraq on the eve of Operation Desert Storm (a military intervention of a US-led coalition) in autumn 1990. In gratitude for this assistance from the Polish intelligence services, the United States reduced Poland’s debt by USD 20 billion and decided to provide extensive financial, material, equipment, and training support in organising the Special Operations Formation GROM.
The establishment of GROM, a special operations unit capable of operating in any corner of the globe, was also undoubtedly influenced by the fact that the number of Polish citizens travelling freely around the world and exposed to various attacks and terrorist threats increased considerably after the political transformation and the fall of communism in Poland.
During the first stage of organising the Special Operations Formation GROM, General Petelicki personally visited various elite special forces and airborne units of the Polish Army in search for suitable people to join his unit. He personally went to the 1st Assault Battalion (called “the forge of Polish Special Forces”) with borrowed modern Smith & Wesson revolvers with 6-inch barrels and fired them together with the soldiers of the battalion. This is how the first soldiers were recruited to the new special operations formation and how the legend of GROM was built. Recruitment was conducted primarily among professional soldiers of 1st Assault Battalion, special companies of the Polish Army, paratroopers of 6th Airborne and Assault Brigade, Navy divers, graduates of the Mechanised Infantry Officers School in Wrocław, and officers of civil and military intelligence. All volunteers had to pass a special selection process verifying their skills and predispositions to serve in this elite unit. At the end of the selection process, each newly admitted GROM soldier underwent an unusual combat test: similarly to the unit commander, they had to sit among dummies dressed as terrorists and play the role of a hostage rescued by commandos using live ammunition and the relevant pyrotechnic and explosive materials.
Unfortunately, at the very beginning of creating the Special Operations Formation GROM, General Petelicki and his colleagues encountered unexpected resistance and various red tape barriers on the part of the Ministry of National Defence, the General Staff of the Polish Army, and the Vistula Military Units (NJW) of the Ministry of Interior as they were looking for a permanent place of stationing their special formation. Ultimately, thanks to the perseverance, resourcefulness, and commitment of General Petelicki and his closest associates, they managed to acquire post-soviet barracks and obtain a large area of the training grounds between Wesoła, Rembertów, and Zielonka near Warsaw from the Ministry of Environmental Protection and State Forests.
Many years later, in his open address commemorating the 20th anniversary of creating GROM, General Petelicki wrote modestly that: “GROM was created from dreams, thanks to smart people, persistence, and ruses…”. Not everyone is aware today that the most famous special unit in the post-war history of the Polish Army was created largely thanks to the dreams and tremendous perseverance of one man, General Sławomir Petelicki. In the course of pursuing his life’s dream, he often resorted to the policy of fait accompli, risking dismissal on disciplinary grounds. Furthermore, few people know that creating and organising the Special Operations Formation GROM took a great toll on General Petelicki’s private life.
The period of organising the unit lasted around two years, with a turning point in 1991 when the gruelling training in the United States was completed. Together with their commander, the carefully selected group of the Special Operations Formation GROM counted 13 officers. They trained in a variety of climates, ranging from burning tropics to frigid mountains. They were taught to fast rope from a helicopter or a tower (as high as a fifteen-story building). According to unwritten rules in special units, new training techniques for soldiers were always performed first by the GROM commander, in this case General Petelicki.
In January 1995, a former Home Army soldier, “Cichociemny” Paratrooper Junior Lieutenant Bronisław Czepczak-Górecki “Zwijak” was invited to a joint winter exercise involving parachute drops by GROM commandos and the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment. This was when General Petelicki as the commander of the Special Operations Formation GROM suggested that the unit be assigned the honourable name “Cichociemni” (literally translated as “Silent and Dark”). The unit’s command sent an official letter in that respect to the “Cichociemni” Paratroopers Historical Group and received a positive response. Pursuant to the decision of the then Minister of National Defence Wojciech Okoński (Decision No. 119/MON of 4 August 1995), taken in consultation with the Minister of Internal Affairs Andrzej Milczanowski, the Special Operations Formation GROM was granted the honourable name of “Cichociemni” Paratroopers of the Home Army and undertook to continue their great traditions.
The GROM identification badge and badge of honour was based on the combat paratrooper badge designed by Marian Walentowicz depicting a diving silver eagle with a wreath in its talons. That symbol was first created for the “Cichociemni” Paratroopers, i.e. soldiers of the 1st Independent Paratrooper Brigade of the Polish Armed Forces in the West (1939-1947) and all persons who underwent basic paratrooper training in Polish training centres in England and participated in combat operations during World War II. The paratrooper combat badge was officially approved by Order No. 3 of the Commander-in-Chief and Minister of Military Affairs of 20 June 1941. The badge was later adopted by post-war airborne troops and special units of the Polish Army.
GROM’s identification badge and badge of honour differs from the paratrooper insignia used by modern airborne troops and other special units of the Polish Army in that the diving eagle holds a thunderbolt in its talons instead of a wreath. GROM’s badge of honour comes in three variants: bronze, silver, and gold. A bronze badge may be awarded to soldiers serving in the unit for a minimum of three years with an unblemished record. The gold badge of honour is awarded to commandos who took part in combat operations and risked their life and health or made special contributions to the development of the unit. All badges of honour are awarded by the Badge Chapter that consists of several soldiers elected by open ballot.
General Petelicki retired following the joint exercise with the SAS in the UK, believing he had done all he could do for his beloved unit. He was succeeded by Lieutenant Colonel Marian Sowiński, to whom Sławomir Petelicki symbolically presented his MP-5 sub-machine gun.
On 1 October 1996 the President of the Republic of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski presented the Commander of the Special Operations Formation GROM Lieutenant Colonel Marian Sowiński a flag at a ceremony held at the Presidential Palace. The embroidery on the banner includes the date of the first airdrop of the “Cichociemni” Paratroopers into occupied Poland on 15 February 1942, the date of the unit’s creation on 13 July 1990, GROM’s symbolic number “13”, the paratrooper insignia of the “Cichociemni” Paratroopers, and the GROM insignia in the form of a diving eagle that was based on it. The godparents of the flag were the wife of the creator and first commander of Special Operations Formation GROM Mrs. Agnieszka Petelicka and “Cichociemny” Paratrooper of the Home Army Junior Lieutenant Bronisław Czepczak-Górecki “Zwijak”.
Three years later, the Special Operations Formation GROM was incorporated into the structure of the Ministry of National Defence. After the transfer, the unit received additional equipment and the training program was expanded. Currently, the Special Operations Unit GROM is a part of the Special Forces Component Command along with JW Komandosów, JW FORMOZA, JW Agat, and JW NIL.
Since its inception, GROM has been a fully professional unit and its soldiers are divided into operators and auxiliary forces. The latter comprise various types of analysts, electronic engineers, computer scientists, explosives specialists, and technicians of all specialities. Initially, the unit also had its own pilots, trained to interact with operators in combat operations.
The unit has been organised according to British models which are considered the best for this type of special formations. As a result, the basic combat teams are groups of four (six, according to other sources) that can be expanded by two sharpshooters. These groups can combine to form larger combat teams as needed. Combat teams consist of highly trained and well-equipped operators, each with two specialities, such as radio operator, sharpshooter, engineer, chemist, combat medic or driver. This is primarily motivated by the need to replace the necessary specialists in case of personnel losses during combat operations. In addition, every soldier also undergoes basic training (with emphasis on paramedic training) to be able to effectively help wounded colleagues and bystanders during combat. For obvious reasons, details concerning the unit’s organisation and size are confidential.
For many years, the selection process for GROM candidates was based on the recruitment policy used by the UK 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS). GROM has now developed its own selection model (similar to SAS recruitment). Officer school graduates who obtained a master’s degree or underwent military training, reserve officers with a master’s degree, professional non-commissioned officers and non-commissioned reserve officers from the rank of platoon sergeant upwards who have a high school diploma can apply to serve with GROM. Apart from the above requirements, candidates must also be in good health, be of above-average physical fitness and mental resilience to endure the hardships of service (including stress and gruelling training) and willing to sacrifice their health or even their own lives. Fluency in foreign languages (especially English), possession of a driver’s license (various categories) and completing a parachuting or scuba diving course are an additional asset.
Initial selection includes a physical test and a psychological test. The physical test involves a general fitness test (5m rope climb, 100m run, pull-ups on a bar, rotating toe touches in 2 minutes and tricep dips), 3000m run, hand-to-hand combat test, and a swimming test including 50m swim, underwater swim, and a dive from a 5m tower with eyes closed. Psychological tests are primarily aimed at testing the intelligence and personality of candidates, with particular emphasis on resilience to stress. After the initial selection, candidates are admitted to the detailed selection process that includes, among other things, an altitude test (aimed at eliminating persons unfit to operate at high altitudes) and a survival test in difficult terrain and weather conditions that lasts for several days and involves elements of terrain orientation, survival, and endurance marches. There is no cap on the number of trials in the pre-selection process.
Next, candidates who complete the selection process undergo basic training that lasts several months. During that time, they are evaluated by their instructors with respect to their aptitude to perform specific tasks. GROM commandos undergo comprehensive training in special operations and counter-terrorism using all airborne techniques, such as parachute jumps, fast-roping from helicopters, and diving; all so that they can later get into future region of operations in an unconventional manner. In addition, operators take courses in mountain climbing and custom driving techniques. Each has additional specializations as a sniper, paramedic, communications officer, driver, or explosives expert. Moreover, many GROM soldiers also receive training in intelligence, counterintelligence, and battlefield medicine. During counter-terrorist exercises, GROM operators are trained, among other things, in the tactics of freeing hostages held on board passenger planes of Polish airlines, buses or trains. The instructors and officers of the unit’s combat teams analyse new cases of terrorist activities around the world on an ongoing basis and devise new or improve old scenarios for various variants of safe hostage rescue. Those scenarios are then practised hundreds of times by the unit’s soldiers during training.
GROM operators train in so-called black tactics (counter-terrorist, in urbanised terrain, onboard aircraft, buses, etc.), green tactics (reconnaissance, diversion, and destruction deep behind enemy lines in various climatic and terrain conditions), and blue tactics (primarily counter-terrorist and special operations where the land and sea meet, on ships and oil platforms).
GROM was the first armed formation in Poland whose soldiers for many years used the best practices and experience of such elite global special formations as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (Delta Force) of the US Army, US Navy SEALs, and the British 22nd Special Air Service (SAS) and SBS (Special Boat Service), i.e. the equivalent of SAS in the British Navy. At present, the training program for GROM operators is already based on their own experience gained during numerous operations and missions around the world, while the collaboration with the abovementioned elite special units is based solely on exchanging recommendations and joint exercises.
It should also be noted that GROM commandos are among a handful of elite special formation soldiers in the world who use live ammunition and explosives during training.
Ever since GROM was established and started operating, the late General Petelicki made sure that his people used primarily the best weapons, uniforms and equipment available on the domestic and international market to protect their lives and health during daily murderous trainings. Thanks to his charisma, perseverance, and consistency, as well as his personal contacts with foreign partners, the late General Petelicki was also able to ensure that GROM operators trained with and learned from the best special units in the world, such as 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta, US Navy SEALs, the British 22nd Special Air Service (SAS), and SBS (Special Boat Service). He paid special attention to such matters. He also made sure that his subordinates had adequate social and material security and that both they and their families received adequate assistance and support from the Polish State in case of any misfortune.
GROM operators have been actively participating in overseas missions for many years now. GROM’s first overseas mission involved participating in the operation Uphold Democracy in the territory of the Republic of Haiti, called the “Hell Hole” by the Americans due to hot climate, incredible poverty and disastrous social conditions of the local population, diseases (especially AIDS), unstable political and internal situation, general violence, failing justice system, raging crime (caused by the demoralisation of the Haitian army and the lack of adequate police structures), and regular hurricanes. GROM commandos were part of a Multinational Force contingent and were given a very difficult and responsible task of protecting foreign VIPs located in the Republic of Haiti. It should be noted that the Poles were the only operators from the Multinational Force contingent to be assigned this difficult and responsible task.
On 17 October 1994, after only six hours of preparations, a group of 51 commandos of the Special Operations Formation GROM headed by the unit’s commander Colonel Petelicki left the Warsaw Okęcie airport on their way to the other hemisphere. For the duration of the mission, the unit was subordinated to the Polish Ministry of Defence. Colonel Petelicki and his closest associates were well aware that GROM’s participation in the Operation Uphold Democracy would be a test to verify the reliability, skills, and qualifications of its soldiers, as well as a favour of sorts for the Americans for help in providing training and material assistance for the unit.
Before GROM operators commenced their tasks, they first underwent additional training at the Camp Santiago base in Puerto Rico and a test to verify their skills. During the test, Polish operators had to demonstrate i.a. rapid combat shooting skills as well as their abilities in offensive and defensive driving various types of American vehicles. Afterwards, Green Berets instructors familiarised GROM commandos with the conditions in which they were about to operate and gave them a lot of useful advice on the mentality of the Haitians and the types of weapons and landmines they used. US instructors also gave the Polish operators invaluable tips on the rules of behaviour while conducting an intervention against an aggressive and agitated crowd. In addition, several US Special Forces soldiers were assigned to GROM operators to evaluate their actions on an ongoing basis.
The Poles had to organise and protect their base themselves; it was located in Mariani, 35 kilometres from the centre of Port-au-Prince. GROM operators took over the protection of VIPs visiting the island from the Navy SEALs, which was a sign of appreciation and great trust. The most dangerous assignment involved organising a personal security detail for the UN Special Envoy for Haiti Lahdar Brahimi. The supporters of the ousted military junta set a bounty of USD 100,000 for his head, only to increase it to USD 150,000. Other VIPs successfully protected by GROM commandos included the United Nations Secretary General Butros Ghali, US National Security Advisor Anthony Lake, US Secretary of Defence William Perry, International Forces Commander Major General Davis C. Meade, US Secretary of the Army Togo D. West, delegations from seven Caribbean chiefs of staff, members of the Senate National Defence Committee, CEO of CNN, US Army Commanding General Dennis Reimer, Commander in Chief, US Atlantic Command General John J. Sheehan, Major General Robert K. Guest, and Brigadier General Robert D. Shadley.
During their mission in the territory of the Republic of Haiti, GROM operators also helped local inhabitants through rescuing them from armed bandit groups or assisting them during the devastating hurricane “Gordon” as well as providing any medical assistance required. This helped them gain the appreciation and recognition of the Haitian people. The Americans have officially confirmed 12 instances of the Polish commandos saving lives during their mission in Haiti.
GROM’s first overseas mission was a complete success and ended with a happy return of all soldiers (richer through their new experience) to Poland in December 1994. Both the command and operators of the Special Operations Formation GROM received very high marks for their activities during the operation Uphold Democracy in the territory of the Republic of Haiti, and the US Secretary of Defence William Perry awarded Colonel Petelicki with a commemorative medal as a token of his appreciation. GROM proved beyond any doubt that it was a reliable partner for its allies and that the enormous material outlays and training assistance devoted to its organisation and preparation had not been in vain.
As a sign of recognition and respect on the part of the Americans, the founder and commander of the Special Operations Formation GROM General Petelicki was the first foreigner to receive the Legion of Merit. It is awarded to soldiers who command personally on the front line. GROM’s commander modestly recognised the distinction as a token of acknowledgement for the whole unit. The participation of GROM commandos and the US special forces was a first joint operation of the USA and a country that only a few years earlier had been a member of a rival political alliance, namely the Warsaw Pact.
Shortly after returning from Haiti, GROM operators took part in joint exercises with Delta and 22nd SAS Regiment operators. This made the Special Operations Formation GROM the first Polish unit to join the elite of NATO forces four years before Poland officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
In 1998, the unit began a close collaboration with the Polish Military Intelligence Services which gave rise to a secret exercise in conducting special operations at the biggest scale in a decade. Conducted in Europe (including Poland), the exercise was assigned the code name “Ellipse Bravo 98” (EB-98). The entire combat capability then available to European and US Special Operations Command was committed to the exercise. The purpose of the event was to show the Polish government the types of operations conducted by special forces in extreme crisis and terrorism threat conditions. 20 US aircraft, 17 helicopters, and more than 1,000 special forces operators were assembled in Poland for the event.
During the exercise, General Petelicki (who had been reappointed as GROM commander in late 1997 and was promoted to general on 15 August 1998) was the first foreigner to command the entire US special forces in the Polish territory (including the notorious Delta). It was yet another token of appreciation and respect for the creator and first commander of GROM on the part of the Americans.
During subsequent missions in Eastern Slavonia, Kosovo, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan, GROM operators confirmed time and time again their advanced skills, excellent combat training, and military professionalism.
During their mission in Eastern Slavonia, they became particularly famous for the daring apprehension of the Serbian war criminal Slavko Dokmanovic, known as the “Butcher of Vukovar”, which took place on 27 June 1997 as part of Operation Little Flower. During the hostilities in Yugoslavia, Dokmanovic had held an important position of mayor of Vukovar and was responsible for the massacre of the Croatian population at the Ovćara farm. The apprehension of the Serbian war criminal was preceded by a long and painstaking work performed by GROM’s operators who had to locate Dokmanovic’s exact place of residence, determine the exact number of guards protecting him, and the level of their training and armament.
During the mission in Iraq as part of the international operation Iraqi Freedom aimed against the regime of Saddam Hussein, in light of their combat training GROM operators took part in a very difficult and dangerous operation involving the capture of one of the most strategic locations in the Iraqi part of the Persian Gulf, namely the KAAOT oil handling terminal (Khawar Al Amaya Offshore Terminal). The nearby MABOT (Mina Al Bakr Offshore Terminal) was to be captured by their American counterparts. Located a few dozen nautical miles south-east of the mouth of the Shatt-al-Arab River, the two terminals covered the entrance to Umm Qasr, Iraq’s only deep-water transshipment port for container ships as well as an important rail hub. In addition, these strategic facilities were complemented by two pumping stations and an oil pipeline with a capacity of approximately 2 million tons of barrels of oil per day. The Americans were well aware that in the event of hostilities with Saddam Hussein’s army, the Iraqis would destroy both strategic facilities and spill the oil into the waters of the Persian Gulf, causing an environmental disaster of an unimaginable scale. For this reason, they absolutely wanted to occupy both terminals intact.
Moreover, with approximately 1,500m in length and 100m in width, the KAAOT transshipment terminal was full of nooks, crannies, pipes, and augers, making it a perfect place for an ambush or for installing various explosive booby traps. It should be noted that, in the event of a fire or a strong explosion, the facility would turn into an inferno and a death trap for all the people there. GROM operators were well aware of these threats.
The coalition forces advanced on Iraq on 20 March 2003, beginning Gulf War II. On the same day, several dozen GROM operatives sailed from a port in Kuwait alongside several US explosives experts on their way to the KAAOT transshipment terminal under the experienced command of Lieutenant Colonel Andrzej Kruczyński “Wódz”. This made GROM the first unit of the Polish Armed Forces to take part in a military operation since the end of hostilities with UPA in 1947. Many GROM operators were painfully aware that they might never return to Poland alive. Fortunately, thanks to their training and the surprise of the Iraqi soldiers, the mission was a complete success.
In the first half of April 2003, GROM operators together with a unit of Navy SEALs took part in a successful mission to capture and control the Mukarayin hydroelectric power plant and dam Iraq. If destroyed by Iraqi forces, the broken dam would cause the of large areas and serious damage to major roads connecting the northern and southern parts of Iraq. Mixed with water, the Iraqi soil would provide a natural and difficult obstacle for advancing armoured and mechanized units of coalition forces.
After the Second Gulf War officially ended, GROM operators remained in Iraq and engaged in finding and neutralising the supporters and collaborators of Saddam Hussein as well as members of the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda who also operated in Iraq.
During their many combat missions carried out in Baghdad, northern and central Iraq, GROM commandos detained dozens of Saddam Hussein’s close associates who held prominent positions in the anti-coalition guerilla and captured or eliminated a number of supporters of the ousted dictator as well as al-Qaeda members featured on the lists of persons wanted by the coalition partners. Among others, they apprehended the killer of an American soldier near the University of Baghdad who escaped a manhunt conducted by Delta Force; the personal bodyguards of Ali Hassan Al-Majid, called the Chemical Ali (he used chemical weapons against the Kurds in Halabja in 1998), and a man suspected of murdering several thousand defenceless civilians in the area of Al-Hilli in 1991.
Aside from the abovementioned combat operations, GROM operatives trained Polish soldiers from the Polish Military Contingent in Iraq, apprehended arms dealers, and liquidated stockpiles of weapons and explosives (in collaboration with the paratroopers from the 25th Air Cavalry Brigade). Their another major success in Iraq was the elimination of a group that had in its possession a list of persons closely collaborating with coalition forces. Not only did the GROM operators recover the list that was considered invaluable for both sides but also neutralised all group persons who had or might have seen it.
Polish commandos also eliminated a several dozen strong group of Fedayeen, former members of Saddam Hussein’s elite personal security detail, who had at their disposal large quantities of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and blank passports and passes issued to Iraqis employed in the military bases of the coalition forces. In addition, GROM operators took part in the hunt for the notorious Fallujah sniper who fired on coalition troops. GROM snipers teams had been on the lookout for him for several days. However, the operation was interrupted by an approaching sandstorm. GROM’s mission to Iraq came to an end in December 2004.