Operation Simoom

Date	Mid 1990
Location	Iraq
Result	Polish operatives successfully liberated American spies

Belligerents

Poland

United States

Iraq

Commanders and leaders

Gromosław Czempiński

Saddam Hussein

Strength

Unknown Polish spies

6 American spies (mix CIA and DIA)

Unknown Republican Guards

Casualties and losses

None, successfully escaped without raising any suspicion

None

Poland

Unknown Polish spies

Operation Simoom (Polish: Operacja Samum) was a top secret Polish intelligence operation conducted in Iraq in 1990.

In 1990 the CIA asked European intelligence agencies to assist in the withdrawal of six American operatives (a mix of CIA and DIA officers) investigating Iraqi troops movements in Iraq before the Gulf War. Several countries, such as the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and France refused to help in such a dangerous operation; only Poland agreed to help.

Poland had connections in Iraq due to Polish engineering firms' construction work throughout the country and sent a few operatives to start working on the operation. Gromosław Czempiński became the commander of this operation, assigned to it by Polish Minister of Internal Affairs and first chief of Urząd Ochrony Państwa, Krzysztof Kozłowski. Ironically, Czempiński has previously been a spy in the United States and either took part or led many operations against the Western intelligence services. The main plan was to reestablish contact with the hiding American spies and give them Polish passports so they could escape from Iraq in a bus, alongside Polish and Russian workers.

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Wikipedia