FC Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 From Army Earlybird News USA Today January 31, 2007 Pg. 1 General Says U.S. Has Proof Iran Arming Iraqi Militias Bush vows to find, arrest suppliers By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY BAGHDAD — Iran is supplying Iraqi militias with a variety of powerful weapons including Katyusha rockets, the No. 2 U.S. general in Iraq said Tuesday. "We have weapons that we know through serial numbers … that trace back to Iran," Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno said in an interview with USA TODAY. His comments came as the Bush administration has been taking an increasingly tough stance against what it alleges is Iranian meddling in sectarian violence in Iraq. Last week, the White House confirmed that the president had authorized U.S. troops to take action against Iranian agents in Iraq who present threats. On Tuesday, President Bush vowed to crack down on those who supply Iraqi insurgents with arms, though he denied any plans to invade Iran. "We'll deal with it by finding their supply chains and their agents and … arresting them. … In other words, we're going to protect our troops," Bush told ABC News. Odierno did not provide further details on how weapons were linked to Iran. The Iranian government has denied providing weapons to Iraqi militias. Most weapons supplied by Iran end up in the hands of Shiite extremists, Odierno said. He said the weapons include: •The RPG-29, a rocket-propelled grenade that can fire armor-piercing rounds. It is larger and more sophisticated than the RPG-7 more commonly found in Iraq. •Katyusha rockets, so large they are generally fired from trucks. •Powerful roadside bombs, known as explosively formed projectiles, which can pierce armor. The technological know-how and "some of the elements to make them are coming out of Iran," Odierno said. Several Iranians have been detained in raids inside Iraq, and some remain in custody. The arrests have provided clues about Iranian operations, Odierno said. "Every time you pick up individuals, you learn about how they facilitate themselves within a country," he said. He did not specify whether the Iranians in custody are cooperating or whether evidence was seized during the arrest. Iran's ambassador to Iraq told The New York Times this week that Iran was taking steps to expand military and economic ties with Iraq. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FC Posted January 31, 2007 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 "The claim to support the troops is a sham. Supporting the troops is merely something to be figured out later. It’s an afterthought, to be addressed after Democrats, with some Republican support, rush through a resolution telling our troops that the mission for which they are putting their lives on the line is not just meaningless but absolutely antithetical to our nation’s interests.” —Mark Finkelstein Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
724wd Posted January 31, 2007 Report Share Posted January 31, 2007 "His comments came as the Bush administration has been taking an increasingly tough stance against what it alleges is Iranian meddling in sectarian violence in Iraq." in all reality, isn't this what we're doing, too? I understand the desire to have peace, ("world peace", if you will) but at what point does the administration say "ok, we're going to step in and help out."? it is my opinion that if we are going to bring peace the middle east, then do it. don't dink around prolong a fight that could be prevented. what would happen if the US military stopped worrying about unintended targets being destroyed, people included, and took care of the problem? hiding in a mosque? BOOM! hiding in a civilian home? BOOM! yes, it's unfortunate that the family being hid behind is eliminated, but are they not harboring terrorists? some say they're threatened by the terrorists and forced to harbor them, well, at what point do they put their foot down and fight back against the terrorists themselves? apparently i ate some "War Flakes" for breakfast... I appologize if i am too uninformed to make sense! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roscoedoh Posted February 1, 2007 Report Share Posted February 1, 2007 No, I don't think you've eaten war flakes this morning, you're just thinking logically and rationally. If we're going to make war, let's pound these jerks into submition. The only thing these Arabs understand is violence and if you show them that you're capable of repeatedly visiting horrific violence upon them, they might be more amenable to tolerating our presence in the region. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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