Polish special forces with the elite commando units are taking an active role in the Iraqi war. Until now, only chemical warfare units were officially involved, but on March 24th 2003 it was revealed after photographs had been taken of the Polish troops, that the Poles are aiding US and British forces fighting Iraqis in Umm-Qasr. The mission was not publicized before and the Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski admitted " these photos shouldn't have happened, the next time it will definitely be with the Polish flag" as the Polish soldiers were photographed with the US flag. The Polish special forces involved in the Iraqi conflict are the commando unit GROM and the diver commando unit FORMOZA. There is also a Polish Navy logistics ship XAWERY CZERNICKI located in the waters of the Persian Gulf.