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horrible news
mlincoln
Member Posts: 5,039 ✭✭✭
This is the worst thing I've heard from Iraq in quite a long time, and I'm sorry, but this war is lost and over. When Iranian agents are caught smuggling explosives and sniper rifles into Iraq, are caught with papers saying they've been doing this, and when the Iraqi government sends them home against US wishes, the war is lost. Who are we fighting for? The insurgents are against us, the Iranians are against us, and the Iraqi government is against us.
Most shocking of all is the last sentence of the article: "Some U.S. officials on Friday saw the decision by Iraq to expel the two men as a positive development that reflected Iraq's independence." The US is not even being honest with itself. The Iraqi government is working with the insurgents to kill American troops, and this is a "positive development."
I have all the respect in the world for the American soldier. I think they have done a superb job. I think the cause was just. But this is over and done with. The people we are fighting for are fighting against us. We need to bring the troops home.
__________________________________________________________________
Iraq Expels 2 Iranians Detained by U.S.
American Defense Official Calls Release 'Obviously Troubling'
By Sudarsan Raghavan and Robin Wright
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, December 30, 2006; A13
BAGHDAD, Dec. 29 -- Two senior Iranian operatives who were detained by U.S. forces in Iraq and were strongly suspected of planning attacks against American military forces and Iraqi targets were expelled to Iran on Friday, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.
The decision to free the men was made by the Iraqi government and has angered U.S. military officials who say the operatives were seeking to foment instability here.
"These are really serious people," said one U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They were the target of a very focused raid based on intelligence, and it would be hard for one to believe that their activities weren't endorsed by the Iranian government. It's a situation that is obviously troubling."
One of the commanders, identified by officials simply as Chizari, was the third-highest-ranking official of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' al-Quds Brigade, the unit most active in aiding, arming and training groups outside Iran, including Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, U.S. officials said. The other commander was described as equally significant to Iran's support of foreign militaries but not as high-ranking.
American military forces nabbed the two men in raids last week. Their capture, U.S. officials said, represents the strongest evidence yet that Tehran's Shiite theocracy is meddling in Iraq's affairs and strengthening its relationship with the government in Baghdad.
U.S. defense officials familiar with the raids said the captured Iranians had detailed weapons lists, documents pertaining to shipments of weapons into Iraq, organizational charts, telephone records and maps, among other sensitive intelligence information. Officials were particularly concerned by the fact that the Iranians had information about importing modern, specially shaped explosive charges into Iraq, weapons that have been used in roadside bombs to target U.S. military armored vehicles.
Shaped charges focus the energy of a blast, allowing shrapnel to burst through vehicles, sometimes even if they are heavily armored. U.S. military officials have long said they believed Iran was responsible for sending such weapons -- along with others, such as advanced sniper rifles -- into Iraq to help insurgents and militia groups.
"The evidence shows that they were exactly up to the things our suspicions indicated," said one U.S. defense official.
Adding to the political sensitivity of the situation, the two men were detained while inside the compound of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of the most powerful Shiite leaders in Iraq. The Bush administration is hoping Hakim can build a moderate coalition of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties that can bring national reconciliation to a fractured Iraq.
The Iraqi government decided to honor Tehran's claims that the two detainees had diplomatic immunity. U.S. officials had argued that although the men had diplomatic passports, they were operating under aliases and therefore not immune.
Despite their frustration at the release of the Iranians, U.S. officials said a strong message has been sent to Iran that its operatives will be tracked down and that it will be held accountable for its activities in Iraq.
"Iranians have been pushing the envelope in Iraq and elsewhere, and it's a good thing they learn there are consequences," a U.S. official said, on condition of anonymity.
U.S. officials said they now had a treasure trove of data from computers and documents and the lists of weaponry recently shipped to Iraq.
"The materials they had will factor into additional planning for operations and will likely be very helpful," said a U.S. defense official. "But with weapons and advanced IEDs [improvised explosive devices] coming into the country, we've identified a major problem."
In a raid last week, U.S. forces stopped a vehicle in central Baghdad and detained three Iranians and one Iraqi, said Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq. Those detained had legitimate diplomatic credentials and were released.
In a second raid, U.S. forces entered Hakim's compound and detained 10 men, including Chizari and the other al-Quds commander. The eight other men were Iraqis, U.S. officials said.
According to a Bush administration official, Chizari or the other commander gave up his identity when talking to the Americans. The U.S. forces apparently were not aware whom they had caught, the official said.
Although the men were captured in Hakim's compound, U.S. officials said Hakim cooperated with the American military operation.
The raids deeply angered officials in the Iraqi government, which is hoping that building ties with Iran could help stem the violence in Iraq. They set in motion a flurry of diplomatic moves to secure the release of the two men.
"The story the Americans said is not true," said Sami al-Askari, a member of parliament and a close adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "They said these were military men with diplomatic status. But they failed to prove anything."
"Iraq is trying to have a solid relationship with its neighbors."
Iran has been providing arms and aid to the two largest Shiite political parties, Hakim's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Dawa party, as well as renegade leader Moqtada al-Sadr and Shiite militias, U.S. officials say. The officials are sorting through the evidence to link the material and intelligence to attacks on U.S. forces. SCIRI and Dawa politicians have said Iran does not back them now.
Last month, Hakim met with President Bush and other administration officials. He said that his Badr Organization militia, which was formed in Iran, no longer operated as an independent militia and that SCIRI no longer received military aid from Iran.
Some U.S. officials on Friday saw the decision by Iraq to expel the two men as a positive development that reflected Iraq's independence.
Most shocking of all is the last sentence of the article: "Some U.S. officials on Friday saw the decision by Iraq to expel the two men as a positive development that reflected Iraq's independence." The US is not even being honest with itself. The Iraqi government is working with the insurgents to kill American troops, and this is a "positive development."
I have all the respect in the world for the American soldier. I think they have done a superb job. I think the cause was just. But this is over and done with. The people we are fighting for are fighting against us. We need to bring the troops home.
__________________________________________________________________
Iraq Expels 2 Iranians Detained by U.S.
American Defense Official Calls Release 'Obviously Troubling'
By Sudarsan Raghavan and Robin Wright
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, December 30, 2006; A13
BAGHDAD, Dec. 29 -- Two senior Iranian operatives who were detained by U.S. forces in Iraq and were strongly suspected of planning attacks against American military forces and Iraqi targets were expelled to Iran on Friday, according to U.S. and Iraqi officials.
The decision to free the men was made by the Iraqi government and has angered U.S. military officials who say the operatives were seeking to foment instability here.
"These are really serious people," said one U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity. "They were the target of a very focused raid based on intelligence, and it would be hard for one to believe that their activities weren't endorsed by the Iranian government. It's a situation that is obviously troubling."
One of the commanders, identified by officials simply as Chizari, was the third-highest-ranking official of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' al-Quds Brigade, the unit most active in aiding, arming and training groups outside Iran, including Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, U.S. officials said. The other commander was described as equally significant to Iran's support of foreign militaries but not as high-ranking.
American military forces nabbed the two men in raids last week. Their capture, U.S. officials said, represents the strongest evidence yet that Tehran's Shiite theocracy is meddling in Iraq's affairs and strengthening its relationship with the government in Baghdad.
U.S. defense officials familiar with the raids said the captured Iranians had detailed weapons lists, documents pertaining to shipments of weapons into Iraq, organizational charts, telephone records and maps, among other sensitive intelligence information. Officials were particularly concerned by the fact that the Iranians had information about importing modern, specially shaped explosive charges into Iraq, weapons that have been used in roadside bombs to target U.S. military armored vehicles.
Shaped charges focus the energy of a blast, allowing shrapnel to burst through vehicles, sometimes even if they are heavily armored. U.S. military officials have long said they believed Iran was responsible for sending such weapons -- along with others, such as advanced sniper rifles -- into Iraq to help insurgents and militia groups.
"The evidence shows that they were exactly up to the things our suspicions indicated," said one U.S. defense official.
Adding to the political sensitivity of the situation, the two men were detained while inside the compound of Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, one of the most powerful Shiite leaders in Iraq. The Bush administration is hoping Hakim can build a moderate coalition of Shiite, Sunni and Kurdish parties that can bring national reconciliation to a fractured Iraq.
The Iraqi government decided to honor Tehran's claims that the two detainees had diplomatic immunity. U.S. officials had argued that although the men had diplomatic passports, they were operating under aliases and therefore not immune.
Despite their frustration at the release of the Iranians, U.S. officials said a strong message has been sent to Iran that its operatives will be tracked down and that it will be held accountable for its activities in Iraq.
"Iranians have been pushing the envelope in Iraq and elsewhere, and it's a good thing they learn there are consequences," a U.S. official said, on condition of anonymity.
U.S. officials said they now had a treasure trove of data from computers and documents and the lists of weaponry recently shipped to Iraq.
"The materials they had will factor into additional planning for operations and will likely be very helpful," said a U.S. defense official. "But with weapons and advanced IEDs [improvised explosive devices] coming into the country, we've identified a major problem."
In a raid last week, U.S. forces stopped a vehicle in central Baghdad and detained three Iranians and one Iraqi, said Maj. Gen. William B. Caldwell, the top U.S. military spokesman in Iraq. Those detained had legitimate diplomatic credentials and were released.
In a second raid, U.S. forces entered Hakim's compound and detained 10 men, including Chizari and the other al-Quds commander. The eight other men were Iraqis, U.S. officials said.
According to a Bush administration official, Chizari or the other commander gave up his identity when talking to the Americans. The U.S. forces apparently were not aware whom they had caught, the official said.
Although the men were captured in Hakim's compound, U.S. officials said Hakim cooperated with the American military operation.
The raids deeply angered officials in the Iraqi government, which is hoping that building ties with Iran could help stem the violence in Iraq. They set in motion a flurry of diplomatic moves to secure the release of the two men.
"The story the Americans said is not true," said Sami al-Askari, a member of parliament and a close adviser to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. "They said these were military men with diplomatic status. But they failed to prove anything."
"Iraq is trying to have a solid relationship with its neighbors."
Iran has been providing arms and aid to the two largest Shiite political parties, Hakim's Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) and the Dawa party, as well as renegade leader Moqtada al-Sadr and Shiite militias, U.S. officials say. The officials are sorting through the evidence to link the material and intelligence to attacks on U.S. forces. SCIRI and Dawa politicians have said Iran does not back them now.
Last month, Hakim met with President Bush and other administration officials. He said that his Badr Organization militia, which was formed in Iran, no longer operated as an independent militia and that SCIRI no longer received military aid from Iran.
Some U.S. officials on Friday saw the decision by Iraq to expel the two men as a positive development that reflected Iraq's independence.
Comments
Esecially when we have cowards leading us that are afraid to do what is NECESSARY TO WIN WARS....you kill people...you kill people and break their poop till they beg you to stop shooting...
Lacking that will..we have become paper tigers.
In the words of an old song...you have been lied to, cheated on, and treated like dirt...and bunches of people, like many battered wives, still like it.
The truth is...the 'war on teror' is nothing but an excuse to spend billions of dolars on weapons of control...not on ragheads..but controls on Americans.
The Elites don't give a thin damn about 'protecting America'...I give you the wide open borders as proof.
They realized that they cannot beat us with bullets...they needed other devices.
I believe they have them now...or will in the very near future.
Only one people stood between the Elitists and their dream of global control... Americans that have a grasp of what freedom means.
That is the deal in the Middle East and NOBODY in the US understands that. Everybody is in bed with everyone else, what you say to another person in private is far different that what you support in public, and your most bitter enemy now could very well be your strongest ally tomorrow (literally, tomorrow).
That sums up the ironic problem. Iraq is independent. Bush wanted a democracy. The vast majority of people in that country are Shia. All those people with the ink stained fingers while back voted into power a Shia government, which it goes without saying is aligned with Shia Iran, which has been our biggest enemy in the Middle East since they captured our embassy under Jimmy Carter.
What the hell did the Bright Boys in Washington think would happen if they allowed free elections?
A similar thing happened in Palestine. The Bush administration was pushing for free elections a couple years ago. Many experts warned that Hamas was the most popular party in Palestine. The elections went ahead anyway, and Hamas won. I think it was Condy Rice who said, "Nobody could have foreseen that Hamas would win."
Right...
So we helped install a terrorist group to be in charge of Palestine.