Tux of Borg Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Iran Intelligence Plans Takeover of Southern Iraq BY THOMAS HARDING - The Daily Telegraph January 16, 2007 URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/46758 BASRA, Iraq — Iranian intelligence is preparing for complete dominance of southern Iraq by penetrating Basra's security network and political parties when the British withdraw. Iraqi intelligence sources disclosed to the Daily Telegraph that Iran plans to reap the huge financial rewards presented by the southern oil fields and prevent Western businesses from gaining a foothold inside Basra. British and American political and military leaders are also concerned over Tehran "giving succor" to terrorists who continue to kill troops every week. Commanders are anxious that once they pull out of Basra in May, the Iranian-backed militias will take over the political and security structures, undoing four years of work that has cost 129 British lives and millions of dollars. Only the Iraqi army stands in the way of the murderous militias. But while it is regarded as competent, the key moment will come when responsibility for administering Basra is given to the Iraqi government with local politicians taking over. At that point, a showdown between the Baghdad-controlled Iraqi army and Iranian-backed Basra militias is expected. Iran has found it easy to build alliances with fellow Shiites who form the majority in southern Iraq. The Iranian-backed insurgents have many recruits among the city's jobless. They are encouraged to attack British patrols and positions to make them look strong as part of the power struggle for Basra, an Iraqi official said. He added that if the British withdrew from the region too early Sunnis would be killed to drive them out and the work of the last four years would have been destroyed. The ammunition and weapons used to kill and maim British troops have almost certainly crossed the border from Iran 10 miles outside the city and gone straight into the hands of terrorists. British military intelligence is certain that the insurgents have received training from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard with the accuracy of mortar and rocket attacks improving by the week. "We know some extreme elements in Basra are being given support and succor from Iran and get weaponry, money and IED technology in order to try to destabilize this part of the country," said Lieutenant Colonel Justin Maciejewski, the commanding officer of the 1,200-strong 1st Battalion Royal Green Jacket battle group. "Local people here are pretty fed up with it. Its impact in certain segments of Basra society is causing violence against us and those elements of the Iraqi security forces seen as not susceptible to Iranian influence." A senior American official, based in the British camp, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was deep concern over the "destabilizing effect" Iran was having on the area. "The indications we are receiving is that the militia firing rockets into this compound are receiving support from Iranian factions," he said. "This is very troubling when we are trying to bring peace and stability." Iraq's most senior politicians have no doubts about the ambitions of their eastern neighbor. Speaking during an official visit to London, Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi of Iraq accused Iran of "playing a disastrous role in our internal affairs." "We have plenty of evidence that Iran is becoming, unfortunately, the main player in Iraq. They do have a deep influence on everything in Iraq. Wherever you go in Iraq, you see their fingerprints on everything." In the past three months the murder rate in Basra has dropped from 45 to five a week, partly due to the British breaking up the death squads of a corrupt police unit. Colonel Maciejewski said the locals were "looking forward to the day we go," but only when the job was done with strong Iraqi security forces in place. While the Iranians support their fellow Shiites in Iraq, there is evidence that the minority Sunni population, estimated at 200,000, has received support from fellow Sunnis in Saudi Arabia. There are worries this could lead to a full-blooded sectarian war that could spread amongst the two branches of Islam throughout the Middle East. When it withdraws from the city the Army can only watch and hope, but it appears there are greater powers at work. Iran has always known Britain's presence was transient and is well prepared for the departure — and for the next round of almost inevitable conflict. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RkFast Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Iraq will continue to carry out acts of war against the United States and when weve finally had enough and DO something about it besudes bend over and say "Thank you, may I have another?!?" WE will be the ones condemned. I guess I cant be suprised. We could solve world hunger right now and get sh-- for it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pdh1 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 Iran Intelligence Plans Takeover of Southern IraqBY THOMAS HARDING - The Daily Telegraph January 16, 2007 URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/46758 There are worries this could lead to a full-blooded sectarian war that could spread amongst the two branches of Islam throughout the Middle East. Sound good to me. Let them fight each other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molson_golden2002 Posted January 16, 2007 Share Posted January 16, 2007 I guess its all dependent on Iraqis stepping up to take control of their own government there. I'm sure we can supply them better than Iran does, but who can tell what there reliability will be? I wonder if the people of Basra want to be a part of Shiite Iran or not? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molson_golden2002 Posted January 17, 2007 Share Posted January 17, 2007 Interesting add on to your post: http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/011607L.shtml Iraq Edges Closer to Iran, With or Without the US By Louise Roug and Borzou Daragahi The Los Angeles Times Tuesday 16 January 2007 Baghdad - The Iraqi government is moving to solidify relations with Iran, even as the United States turns up the rhetorical heat and bolsters its military forces to confront Tehran's influence in Iraq. Iraq's foreign minister, responding to a U.S. raid on an Iranian office in Irbil in northern Iraq last week, said Monday that the government intended to transform similar Iranian agencies into consulates. The minister, Hoshyar Zebari, also said the government planned to negotiate more border entry points with Iran. The U.S. military is still holding five Iranians detained in Thursday's raid. Army Gen. George W. Casey Jr., the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said records seized in the raid and statements made by the detainees showed that at least some of them worked for Iran's intelligence service. "I don't think there is any disagreement on the fact that these folks that we have captured are foreign intelligence agents in this country, working with Iraqis to destabilize Iraq and target coalition forces that are here at Iraq's request," Casey said Monday. Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. ambassador to Iraq, added, "We are going after their networks in Iraq." Iraqis, who have echoed Tehran's calls for the U.S. to release the five men, say the three-way standoff that has ensued reveals more about American meddling in Iraqi affairs than about Iranian influence. "We, as Iraqis, have our own interest," Zebari said in an interview with The Times. "We are bound by geographic destiny to live with" Iran, adding that the Iraqi government wanted "to engage them constructively." Zebari's comments reinforced the growing differences between the Iraqi government's approach and that of the Bush administration, which has rejected calls by the nonpartisan Iraq Study Group to open talks with Iran and Syria. Administration officials accuse Iran of sowing anarchy and violence in the region. Zebari's remarks came two days after Iraq and Iran announced a security agreement. "Terrorism threatens not only Iraq but all the regional countries," Iranian radio reported Sherwan Waili, Iraq's national security minister, as saying. The overtures to Tehran also followed Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's appointment last week of a security commander for Baghdad over the objections of U.S. officials, who favored another candidate. American officials oppose the presence in Iraq of Iranian officials and members of the Revolutionary Guard, which is controlled by religious hard-liners in Iran. Washington and Tehran have been at odds for decades and are in a standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions. But to Iraq, Iran is its biggest trading partner and a source of tourist revenue, mainly from the thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims who travel to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala every year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFinkle Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 mission accomplished! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 We could solve world hunger right now and get sh-- for it We probably could--a few hundred billion dollars could at least go a long ways towards that. Good thing we spent that money !@#$ing up Iraq instead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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