Iran Is Helping Insurgents in Iraq, U.S. Officials Say

[quaoar]

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/09/20/politics/20iran.html

By THOM SHANKER and STEVEN R. WEISMAN
Published: September 20, 2004

WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 - Secretary of State Colin L. Powell and Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld have raised sharp complaints in recent days that Iran is providing support for the insurgency in Iraq, expressing concerns over what they say are Iran's attempt to shape Iraq's future.

Pentagon, State Department and military officials, describing intelligence reports that are fueling those concerns, say money, weapons and even a small number of fighters are flowing over the border from Iran to assist Shiite insurgents commanded by Moktada al-Sadr, a rebel cleric. But there is no consensus on the exact scale of Iranian activities.

Mr. Powell, in an interview with the editors of The Washington Times released by the State Department on Friday, said that Iran was "providing support" for the insurgency but that the extent of its influence was not clear. Most of the insurgency, he added, was "self-generating" and drawing support from indigenous sources.

Mr. Rumsfeld, speaking Tuesday during a visit to Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., said, "We have no doubt that the money comes in from Syria and Iran and undoubtedly other countries as well." He also cited reports that a shoulder-launched, antiaircraft missile had been smuggled into Iraq from Iran.

[Maple]

1. Wasn't 'flypaper' the plan??

[grytpype]

2. Oooh, a PROXY WAR!

We haven't fought one of those since... geee... VIETNAM!

[Media_Lies_Daily]

3. Are the Iranians smuggling the Iraqi WMDs back into Iran, too??

[alittlelark]

4. Them thur bad guys with their weeepons aimed at

us 'Muricans!!! BAD GUYS. PREEMTIVISHION. BAD GUYS.

[Cloud]

9. Yep

Since our military is bogged down right now they will need fresh troops if Bush decides to invade Iran as an October surprise.

I say we sign up the college republicans. If they support Boosh and the war so strongly then you think they would gladly sign up. That is unless an old masturbation injury keeps them out of the service. LOL

[alittlelark]

13. In the Bay Area, I will attempt tto

meet all meetings of the Young Republicans with ENLISTMENT FORMS.....oh yeah, I'll do it with a smile!

[Cloud]

14. lol

Watch them scatter like flies and call you unpatriotic and things like that.

Let me know how that turns out.

[Streetdoc270]

5. of course they are!

How else do you justify a pre-emptive invasion of Iran if they are not supporting the insurgents?

[whistle]

6. These are not insergents in Iraq, they are resistance fighters

[Erika]

7. This Administration Has Lost It's Credibility

Reagan/Bush are the ones who armed Iran in the first place.

[grytpype]

8. Hey, remember that Iraqi Army that Bush fired?

All 300,000 of them? Well, they didn't just disappear, they are training the insurgents to fight us!!!!

Well for fuck's sake, President Pyle!

[Kool Kitty]

10. Uh-huh. Sure.

Powell and Rumsfeld are certain of this. I guess I have to agree, then, being that they are such credible fellows. :eyes:

[joefree1]

11. Wheee, here we go

One, two, three, what'd we fighting for?
Don't ask Bush,
he don't give a damn.
Next stop is old Iran.

[Disturbed]

12. Everytime I see that assholes' name..

I post this.

Rumsfailed Admitted to Violating Geneva Convention

Rumsfailed admitted in public on TV that when CIA Director Tenet requested that an Iraqi prisoner be sent to a secret Afghan/US Prison that Rumsfailed did so. After four months a DOD Attorney stated that this was an illegal act. Rumsfailed then ordered that this prisoner be sent back to Abu Graihib but the prisoner was purposefully not listed at that location, also an illegal act. Rumfailed has commted two violations of the Geneva Convention; thereby also violations of The Constitution of the USA. Recently it has been found out that even more detainees were "ghost detainees". The fact that Rumsfailed and Tenet have not been charged speaks volumes. If Congress wishes to garner any respect they should move forward with Rep. Rangle's Impeachment Declaration of Rumsfailed and also proscecute Ex. CIA Tenet.

Does the US, Govt., Congress, and the Justice Dept no longer abide by the Geneva Convention or the Constitution of the USA?

It is obvious that this is the case!.

[Algomas]

15. Israel will launch the attack...

and we will come to their aid, possibly with nukes. Just in time for the election here. Like he says, "Im a wartime president".

[Erika]

16. We don't have the Military Power to Fight Another War

Our military is stretched beyond belief. You notice the TV shows are now showing the negative results on our soldiers who are returning from the ME? I could be wrong but I truly believe our society is turning against war as a solution. Especially after the WMD's, mushroom clouds, and all the rest of the lies Bush used to get us into Iraq. Israel has the fire power, paid for by us, to decimate Iran. But they would cause 90% of the world to turn against us. Plus, God would look very similar to Allah, in war mongering.

[Eloriel]

17. Hah! The money also comes from U.S. taxpayers --

The Iraqi police are working with the insurgents, and donate money (from their paychecks) to the insurgents as well. I think it's mentioned in both this interview and the kidnapee's blog:

Kidnapped by Ansar Al-Islam: How Scott Taylor Survived and Was Saved in Iraq
(Canadian journalist) by Christopher Deliso
http://www.antiwar.com/deliso/?articleid=3606
Taylor's blog http://www.espritdecorps.ca/new_page_243.htm

[Erika]

18. We didn't Learn From Nam did we?

But most of these chickenhawks in the Bush administration never went to Nam. They had other priorities. Kerry went.

[soothsayer]

20. And doesn't that dude says there really aren't foreign fighters in Iraq

That it's really a home-grown resistance?g

[Eloriel]

28. Yes, he did say that, but

I'm not sure he had information about the whole country or if he was just talking about the part if Iraq that he was in. Wich is not to say that *I* believe there are that many (if any) foreign fighters flooding into Iraq, just that his perspective on this was well explained IMO.

[quaoar]

19. All you have to remember

Is that when the Iraq invasion was launched, the Bush Administration motto was, "Real Men Go to Teheran."

As if any of them were real men.

[0007]

21. No fair. A flagrant foul for sure!

How many bullies allies do we have helping us?

[Roland99]

22. Sewing the seeds...

Sewing the seeds of war.

[bemildred]

23. Maybe threatening Iran all the time wasn't such a brilliant idea? nt

[mmonk]

24. Actually,

they are probably doing everything possible to tie up our troops there in order to make it more difficult to go ahead with military options against them and bide time before people in the administration push an attack.

[sweetheart]

25. yep

Covert deniability is likely the rule, but surely they see that
military force in iraq as hostile, and better it is defeated there
than on ones own soil. Subverting someone who plans to invade you
is self defense. I can't blame them in the least... and i'm sure
there is little proof.

[bemildred]

27. Leave us not forget Syria. nt

[Catfight]

26. The Saudi's are helping train terroist.