Polish Military Denies Any Abuse by Its Troops in Iraq

WARSAW — The Polish military Friday denied allegations that its troops were involved in prisoner abuse in Iraq.

Witness statements obtained Thursday said troops from Poland and other countries in the U.S.-led coalition were involved in abuse.

“I am absolutely sure that Polish troops did not mistreat Iraqi prisoners,” Lt. Col. Robert Strzelecki, the Polish-led division spokesman, told Polish radio.

“We don’t know why the charges were addressed against Poles, who serve in Iraq with so much dedication, under life-threatening conditions.”

President Aleksander Kwasniewski, who was en route to the Europe-Latin America summit in Mexico, has asked the military for an explanation, the Polish news agency PAP reported.

Poland commands a multinational force in south-central Iraq.

The records of interviews conducted by Army Criminal Investigation Division agents include new allegations that coalition forces had beaten prisoners before turning them over to the Americans.

Polish military officials say special prosecutors have regularly checked the Polish-led division’s detention center at Hillah and found no irregularities.

Col. Zdzislaw Gnatowski, a spokesman for the Polish army chief of staff, told Polish television, “The detainees were arrested during attacks on coalition troops or were handed over by the Iraqi police.

“These people were not treated badly,” he said.

Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski also expressed doubts about the allegations.

“This is all some unverified leak,” he said.