U.S. attacks Iran in Iraq
"American troops backed by attack helicopters and armored vehicles raided an Iranian diplomatic office in the dead of night early Thursday and detained as many as six of the Iranians working inside.
The raid was the second surprise seizure of Iranians by the American military in Iraq in recent weeks and came a day after President Bush bluntly warned Iran to quit meddling in Iraqi affairs.
. . . The attack was denounced by senior Kurdish officials, who are normally America’s closest allies in Iraq but regarded the action as an affront to their sovereignty in this highly tribal swath of the country. Iran’s Foreign Ministry reacted in Tehran with a harsh denunciation that threatened to escalate tensions with the Bush administration.
. . . The standoff began around 11 a.m. in Einkawa, a pleasant and predominantly Christian suburb of Erbil where many Western officials live and keep offices. Possibly angered by the earlier raid, the Kurdish forces refused to let several American Humvees through a checkpoint." [1]
"The two raids are part of a new U.S. intelligence and military operation launched last month against Iran, U.S. officials said. The United States is trying to identify and detain top officials of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' al-Quds Brigade operating in Iraq. The al-Quds Brigade is active in arming, training and funding militant movements, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, throughout the Middle East.
. . . While the public focus is on Iraq, the administration is now spending as much time on plans to contain Iran as on a strategy to end Iraq's violence, U.S. officials said.
Last month, U.S. forces seized two senior Iranians -- Brig. Gen. Mohsen Chirazi and Col. Abu Amad Davari -- in the first round of raids.
. . . But the new U.S. policy to confront Iranians in Iraq has already sparked divisions within the administration. The Pentagon wanted to hold the two top al-Quds officials for questioning, but the State Department backed an Iraqi request to deport them. They were sent home a week after their capture." [2]
"In the view of American officials, Iran is engaged in a policy of “managed chaos” in Iraq. Its presumed goal, both policymakers and intelligence officials say, is to raise the cost to the United States for its intervention in Iraq, in hopes of teaching Washington a painful lesson about the perils of engaging in regime change.
Toward this end, American officials charge, Iran has provided components, including explosives and infrared triggering devices, for sophisticated roadside bombs that are designed to penetrate armor. They have also provided training for several thousand Shiite militia fighters, mostly in Iran. Officials say the training is carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security." [3]
" 'They’re training to kill coalition forces,' said one senior American counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Their comments about wanting to see a stable Iraq are belied by this type of activity.'
Gen. Michael V. Hayden, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told Congress late last year that while he was originally skeptical of reports of Iranian operations inside Iraq, he now had the 'zeal of a convert' on the matter.
One American official who recently returned from a trip to Baghdad said American commanders in Iraq believed that Iran was using its vast political influence to press Shiite politicians not to forge any long-term agreements with Sunnis." [4]
"Our [America's] allies in the region are concerned about negative Iranian influence in Iraq.
. . . Iran has been cultivating influence in Iraq through all means at its disposal.
Iran’s threat involves both lethal action and the burrowing of Iranian actors into Iraqi institutions." [5]
sources
[1] The New York Times. G.I.’s in Iraq Raid Iranians’ Offices. January 12, 2007.
[2] The Washington Post. U.S. Troops Raid 2 Iranian Targets in Iraq, Detain 5 People. January 12, 2007.
[3] The New York Times. Rice Says Bush Authorized Iranians’ Arrest in Iraq. January 13, 2007.
[4] The New York Times. To Counter Iran’s Role in Iraq, Bush Moves Beyond Diplomacy. January 11, 2007.
[5] National Security Council. Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review. (Summary Briefing Slides). January 2007.
posted: monday, january 15, 2007, 1:31 AM ET
update: monday, january 15, 2007, 2:12 AM ET
tags: iraq iran
The raid was the second surprise seizure of Iranians by the American military in Iraq in recent weeks and came a day after President Bush bluntly warned Iran to quit meddling in Iraqi affairs.
. . . The attack was denounced by senior Kurdish officials, who are normally America’s closest allies in Iraq but regarded the action as an affront to their sovereignty in this highly tribal swath of the country. Iran’s Foreign Ministry reacted in Tehran with a harsh denunciation that threatened to escalate tensions with the Bush administration.
. . . The standoff began around 11 a.m. in Einkawa, a pleasant and predominantly Christian suburb of Erbil where many Western officials live and keep offices. Possibly angered by the earlier raid, the Kurdish forces refused to let several American Humvees through a checkpoint." [1]
"The two raids are part of a new U.S. intelligence and military operation launched last month against Iran, U.S. officials said. The United States is trying to identify and detain top officials of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' al-Quds Brigade operating in Iraq. The al-Quds Brigade is active in arming, training and funding militant movements, such as Lebanon's Hezbollah, throughout the Middle East.
. . . While the public focus is on Iraq, the administration is now spending as much time on plans to contain Iran as on a strategy to end Iraq's violence, U.S. officials said.
Last month, U.S. forces seized two senior Iranians -- Brig. Gen. Mohsen Chirazi and Col. Abu Amad Davari -- in the first round of raids.
. . . But the new U.S. policy to confront Iranians in Iraq has already sparked divisions within the administration. The Pentagon wanted to hold the two top al-Quds officials for questioning, but the State Department backed an Iraqi request to deport them. They were sent home a week after their capture." [2]
"In the view of American officials, Iran is engaged in a policy of “managed chaos” in Iraq. Its presumed goal, both policymakers and intelligence officials say, is to raise the cost to the United States for its intervention in Iraq, in hopes of teaching Washington a painful lesson about the perils of engaging in regime change.
Toward this end, American officials charge, Iran has provided components, including explosives and infrared triggering devices, for sophisticated roadside bombs that are designed to penetrate armor. They have also provided training for several thousand Shiite militia fighters, mostly in Iran. Officials say the training is carried out by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Ministry of Intelligence and Security." [3]
" 'They’re training to kill coalition forces,' said one senior American counterterrorism official, speaking on condition of anonymity. 'Their comments about wanting to see a stable Iraq are belied by this type of activity.'
Gen. Michael V. Hayden, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, told Congress late last year that while he was originally skeptical of reports of Iranian operations inside Iraq, he now had the 'zeal of a convert' on the matter.
One American official who recently returned from a trip to Baghdad said American commanders in Iraq believed that Iran was using its vast political influence to press Shiite politicians not to forge any long-term agreements with Sunnis." [4]
"Our [America's] allies in the region are concerned about negative Iranian influence in Iraq.
. . . Iran has been cultivating influence in Iraq through all means at its disposal.
Iran’s threat involves both lethal action and the burrowing of Iranian actors into Iraqi institutions." [5]
sources
[1] The New York Times. G.I.’s in Iraq Raid Iranians’ Offices. January 12, 2007.
[2] The Washington Post. U.S. Troops Raid 2 Iranian Targets in Iraq, Detain 5 People. January 12, 2007.
[3] The New York Times. Rice Says Bush Authorized Iranians’ Arrest in Iraq. January 13, 2007.
[4] The New York Times. To Counter Iran’s Role in Iraq, Bush Moves Beyond Diplomacy. January 11, 2007.
[5] National Security Council. Highlights of the Iraq Strategy Review. (Summary Briefing Slides). January 2007.
posted: monday, january 15, 2007, 1:31 AM ET
update: monday, january 15, 2007, 2:12 AM ET
tags: iraq iran
posted by eric at 1:06 AM
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