Bomb Iran

Petraeus: Interrogations Reveal Iranian Influence in Iraq

By Sgt. Sara Wood, USA
American Forces Press Service


WASHINGTON, April 26, 2007 – Through interrogations of key detainees in the past month, the United States has learned a great deal about Iranian involvement in terrorist activities in Iraq, specifically the financing and training of insurgent groups, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said here today.
The interrogation of leaders and members of the Qazali terror network who have been in detention for more than a month revealed that Iran provided the network substantial funding, training on Iranian soil, advanced explosive munitions and technologies as well as arms and ammunition, and in some cases advice and even a degree of direction, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said in a Pentagon news conference.

When these terrorists were captured, coalition forces discovered a number of documents describing attacks on U.S. forces, including a 22-page memorandum that detailed the planning, preparation, approval process and conduct of the Jan. 20 attack on the Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Karbala, Iraq, that killed five U.S. soldiers, Petraeus said.

“Our sense is that these records were kept so that they could be handed in to whoever it is that is financing them,” he said. “And there's no question, again, that Iranian financing is taking place through the Quds force of the Iranian Republican Guards Corps.”

The U.S. has learned more about Iranian involvement in Iraq through the detention of one of the heads of the Sheibani network, which brings explosively formed projectiles into Iraq from Iran, Petraeus said. This leader’s brother was in Iraq, and was the conduit who received munitions from Iraq and distributed them among the extremist elements.

“Those munitions, as you know, have been particularly lethal against some of our armored vehicles and responsible for some of the casualties, the more tragic casualties, in attacks on our vehicles,” Petraeus said.

The coalition has not found a link between Iran and the spectacular car bomb attacks in Iraq, Petraeus said, as many of these attacks are conducted by foreign fighters coming into the country through Syria. Also, the U.S. has no evidence that indicates how high in the Iranian government the knowledge of this involvement goes, he said.

Petraeus called Iran’s activities “exceedingly unhelpful” as Iraqi leaders and security forces battle al Qaeda, extremist militias, sectarian violence, and limited political capacity to rebuild society. The situation in Iraq is exceedingly complex and challenging, he said, and while there have been successes under the new security plan, perseverance will be needed for the coming months.

“Success will take continued commitment, perseverance and sacrifice, all to make possible an opportunity for the all-important Iraqi political actions that are the key to long-term solutions to Iraq's many problems,” Petraeus said. “Because we are operating in new areas and challenging elements in those areas, this effort may get harder before it gets easier.”

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In the wake of this, we get the following: Iran to Attend Regional Talks on Iraq Violence

BAGHDAD, April 29 — The government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran announced Sunday that it would attend a regional conference on Iraq later this week, setting the stage for the first cabinet-level meeting between Iran and the United States since the end of 2004.

Go to Complete Coverage » The American envoy to the meeting, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, said that she would not rule out the possibility of conferring directly with Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, but that she did not foresee any discussions on one of the most divisive issues between the nations, Iran’s nuclear program.

In a series of television interviews on Sunday, she emphasized that the conference in Egypt was intended to focus on what Iraq’s neighbors and “interested parties” could do to help quell the relentless violence in Iraq.

“This is not a meeting about the United States and Iran,” she said on the ABC News program “This Week.” “This is a meeting about Iraq and about what Iraq’s neighbors and interested parties can do to help stabilize the situation in Iraq.”

She then ticked off a list of actions Washington would seek from Tehran in what was effectively a repetition of the accusations that have helped sour relations, including stirring sectarian violence in Iraq and providing Shiite militias with sophisticated weaponry to use in roadside bombs, known as improvised explosive devices.

“Stop the flow of arms to foreign fighters,” she said. “Stop the flow of foreign fighters across the borders. Stop using advanced I.E.D. technology to kill American soldiers. Stop stirring up trouble among militias that then go and kill innocent Iraqis.”

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“Stop the flow of arms to foreign fighters,” she said. “Stop the flow of foreign fighters across the borders. Stop using advanced I.E.D. technology to kill American soldiers. Stop stirring up trouble among militias that then go and kill innocent Iraqis.”

Come, now, Madam Secretary. The only thing that will stop these atrocities by these 7th Century barbarians is a few well-placed JDAMs and tactical nukes.

Oh, wait, we don't have the latter thanks to pantywaists like John Kerry.

Perhaps this is the strategy, though: A last gasp diplomatic effort, for PR purposes, followed by real action in the form of strategic air strikes.

Civilization should be so lucky.