The U.S. Blames Iran for Training Iraqi Extremists Who Kill Americans
U.S. military officials in Iraq are publicly pointing to an alleged Iranian role in the training of radical Iraqi Shiites, escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran that reports suggest could lead to a military conflict. In effect, the United States is blaming Iran for providing not only weapons but also training and encouragement for Iraqi Shiite extremists to kill American soldiers in Iraq.
On Monday, a U.S. military spokesman charged that Iraqi Shiite extremists are being trained by members of the Lebanese militant Shiite group Hezbollah in camps near Tehran. Hezbollah itself gets funding, arms, and training from Iran's Quds Force, an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iraqis are receiving the training at camps operated by the Quds Force, Air Force Col. Donald Bacon told the Associated Press. "We have multiple detainees who state Lebanese Hezbollah are providing training to Iraqis in Iranian IRGC-QF training camps near Tehran," said Bacon, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad. (The Quds Force is also known as the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps-Quds Force, or IRGC-QF. Al-Quds is the Arabic name for Jerusalem.)
The Sunday Times of London, citing western intelligence sources, reported that the United States is drawing up plans for a "surgical strike" against an insurgent training camp inside Iran if Republican Guards continue with attempts to destabilize Iraq. CBS News reported last week that the Pentagon ordered military commanders to develop new options for attacking Iran.
While military officials publicly downplay that prospect, U.S. officials are laying the rhetorical groundwork for exercising a military option. For instance, Central Intelligence Agency Director Michael Hayden last week bluntly accused Iranian leaders of policies to "facilitate the killing of Americans in Iraq."
U.S. military officials and some analysts have cited Iran's involvement for some time. Military officials say that the United States will soon make public more evidence that Iran continues to send weapons into Iraq, including the armor-piercing munitions that have proven particularly deadly for American forces. Complicating matters, though, a top Iraqi official said Sunday that there was no conclusive evidence that Shiite extremists have been directly supplied with Iranian arms as alleged by the United States. Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said Iraq does not want trouble with any country, "especially Iran." Asked about reports that some rockets made in 2007 or 2008 and seized in raids against militias were directly supplied by Iran, al-Dabbagh replied: "There is no conclusive evidence."
On Monday, Iran said it would not hold a new round of talks with the United States on security in Iraq until U.S. forces end their current assault against Shiite militias. U.S. and Iraqi forces have been battling supporters of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who receives support from Iran. "We believe the talks will not be held given the current situation [in Iraq]," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini told reporters during his weekly press briefing Monday.
Iran and the United States have held three rounds of ambassador-level talks on security in Iraq since last May.
Reader Comments
iran
George bush may not be favoured in the world, but i believe in 200 years history will mark him as a great man with guts, who tried
in 25 years time when china march 10 million troops through countries with no mercy killing all that move, they will not have insurgency problems, this is the sad truth that is comming. the big masterplan.
why did russia buy all saddams oil? will they have moved into saudi next? left nothing for the west! open up your eyes
China
Well said. Actually, we should have had it out with China back in the 80's over HK. The longer you wait, the worse it is when the inevitable comes, the Nazis tought us that...
Iran
The killing kidnapping of Americans By the Islamo facist Islamic Thugs occupying Iran is nothing new. Since early 80`s the killing and kidnaping started in Lebanon under the disguize of Hezzbollah. Hezzbollah is an Islamic republic`s soldirs of fortune operating from Lebanon. The Same Hezzbollah under variety of diffrent names been active in Iraq since the Invasion began . The Iranian backed hezzbollah been active in Iraq for over 5 years , the casulaties sustained by US troops are the works of this group. In Iraq they are called shittes. in Labonan they are called Hezzbollah. We need to attack the Hezzbollah bases in Iran soon , it is 5 years too late , sooner the better .
Iran/Iraq
im in the us army...I belive iran has a lot 2 do with iraq...and the terrorism..im set to deploy to iraq in september...but id love to enter iran initial push...for reasons I belive in than iraq which is way played out and beat down
American government is proven liars or idiots
I'll believe U.S. officials regarding anything in the Middle East when they show me even one of those tons, I say *tons*, of weapons of mass destruction that they said Iraq was just *brimming* with. Until then, the U.S. government has no credibility -- they've already proven themselves either liars, or just plain incompetent. E.g. their "surge is working" nonsense, which preceeded the bloodiest month in Iraq since the early years of the war. Lie? Stupidity? Incompetence? Does it matter? There's a name for people who believe others who've lied to them repeated. That name is, uhm, "morons".
BTW, Iraqi His'b'allah has nothing to do with the Lebanese one. His'b'allah is Arabic for "Party of God", and the Iraqi one has about as much to do with the Lebanese one as the French Republican Party (a liberal party) has to do with the American Republican Party (a conservative party). The Iraqi His'b'allah is the "swamp Arabs" of southern Iraq who fought Saddam for so many years, and has no ties at all to the Lebanese party of the same name -- indeed, was part of the CPA governing council for Iraq back in the early days of the occupation.
Let's train Iranians to blow up Iran's Islamo-fascist regime
The Mojahedeen (Iranian militia) in Ashraf Camp in Iraq will be perfect for this job, and will do it without any hesitation. It is time to end the Islamo-fscist regime of Iran. Iranians are tired and sick of the Islamo-fascist regime of Iran. They want America to help them free their country from the Islamo-fascists.
NUke China and USSR
Do you really believe that if we nuke them they can't nuke us? How stupid is that? China/ North Korea/ India/Russia/ Pakistan/European countries and Israel and US and maybe Iran all with nuclear weapons.
Let the party bring Frat mentality idiots! As if nuclear weapons are Beers.
Neocons idiots. God have you not done enough already In Iraq make Iran stronger and the world hate us more.
Iran is laughing at us as we speak! and Israel is more in danger than ever!
God how idiot is this country? Please world listen not all of us Americans are so stupid.
I am a republican and not a liberal and I want us to just mind our own business for a while and leave the Middle East to itself. Let them fight each other for a while. Israel is a big boy and can handle I have a feeling.
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iran
just send in the bombers to sort out the iranians, destroy the revolutionary guards and nuclear plants, if the shit hits the fan with china and russia and they defend iran, get the nukes out, thoes other two are planning the big takeover in the next 30 years, would rather we try to sort them all out before they become to to fat and wealthy.
May 05, 2008 14:44:13 PM [permalink] [report comment]