Insurgent Admits Iran, Syria Links on Tape

http://www.montereyherald.com/mld/montereyherald/news/breaking_news/10592682.htm ^ | 1/7/05

[Lori675]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi militant suspected of involvement in beheadings and other bloody attacks told Iraqi authorities that his group has links with Iran and Syria, according to a tape aired Friday by an Arabic TV station funded by the U.S. government.

Moayad Ahmed Yasseen, leader of Jaish Muhammad, which is Arabic for Muhammad's Army, was captured nearly two months ago in Fallujah, the former guerrilla stronghold west of Baghdad.

Alhurra television, which has its headquarters in Washington, said the tape of his purported confession was made Dec. 24 and provided to the station by Iraq's Ministry of Defense.

Iraqi and U.S. officials, including President Bush, have accused Syria and Iran of meddling in Iraq's affairs and aiding insurgents, a charge both nations vehmently deny. Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said last week that Iraq's patience was running out with countries that support the insurgency.

On the tape, Yasseen, a colonel in Saddam Hussein's army, said two other former Iraqi military officers belonging to his group were sent "to Iran in April or May, where they met a number of Iranian intelligence officials." He said they also met with Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

He said Iranian officials provided money, weapons "and, as far as I know, even car bombs" for Jaish Muhammad.

Yasseen also said he got permission from Saddam - while the former dictator was in hiding after his ouster by the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 - to cross into Syria and meet with a Syrian intelligence officer to ask for money and weapons. He didn't say if the request was met.

The U.S. military has said Jaish Muhammad appears to be an umbrella group for former Iraqi intelligence agents, army officers, security officials and members of Saddam's Baath Party.

The group is known to have cooperated with Jordanian terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as well as other Saddam loyalists and al-Qaida supporters. Allawi has accused Jaish Muhammad of killing and beheading a number of Iraqis, Arabs and foreigners in Iraq.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Oh my gosh! I am sooo surprised! Iran and Syria, working together? My, my. I sure hope the interrogators were very pleasant and polite to get this information. We certainly wouldn't want to upset someone like this, who I am sure just couldn't wait to give us this important ( albeit surprising) information.

I wonder if he talked to Senator Kennedy before he was interrogated?

[Paladin2]

I still want to know where the Fatwas are that promote the death of those Islamnofascists who kill other followers of Mohammad.

[scottywr]

It's really ,I mean really, starting to PI$$ me of that the MSM continues to call these idiots insurgents and not terrorists.

[saxxa]

i'M SHOCKED !!!! ....I would have never imagined anything like that....and deeply saddened

[Nipplemancer]

Syria & Iran? Surely you must be joking. They'd never do anything like that.

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

I agree! Can't we start to swamp the media with complaints about this ridiculous calling them insurgents? Oh, heck, let's just finish them off ( of course, that is, after we get permission from the liberals ).

We also need to correct this misnomer by pointing out that these characters over there are "terrorists". Let's use the term "insurgent" where it rightly belongs...to refer to John Kerry!

[ZULU]

When Bush stayed in Iraq after smashing Saddam's military machine, I thought the main justification was to use it as a launching platform to eliminate the nutjobs in Damascus and Tehran.

Now is the opportunity to finish the job. We should coordinate an attack with Israel on Syria and instigate a popular uprising in Iran which we support with military materiel and advisors.

Then we go after Korea.

[Marine_Uncle]

Thanks for the post.

"The U.S. military has said Jaish Muhammad appears to be an umbrella group for former Iraqi intelligence agents, army officers, security officials and members of Saddam's Baath Party."

Not tooting my horn, believe me, but I have been sayings this for the past few months at this forum on Iraqi postings.
What I did not know is this particular group where the interface between general Izzat el Douri and his Intel general staff that escape to Syria days after the war was lost. Now it is all starting to come to a head.

Also Allawi's comment about "his patience is running out",
could be a message taken two ways or more. My thoughts.
1) it is a simple statement of anger with no way to back it up.......since Iraq does not have an effective figthing force yet.
2). it is an indication that there may be an agreement between the IIG and US/Britain, to reverse the earlier wish of the IIG and the first temp Iraqi government that was put in place by Bremmer and company, to not allow any Iraqi officers back into the fold if they had "blood on their" hand, now to be given the go ahead to sign up if they renounce their Baathist affilition, thereby quickly swelling the ranks of the new Iraqi Army with an experienced officer corps. that will lead to a rapid recruitement of new troops.

This may play out to be quite significant. Then again, perhaps there is nothing more to it then what is indicated in the article. Yet another bozo captured.

[G Larry]

>I wonder if he talked to Senator Kennedy before he was interrogated?<

That kind of TORTURE is sure to make anyone cooperate.

[exit82]

I'll let my tagline do my talking for me.

[KoRn]

Ok, we've known that Iran and Syria have been involved all along. So what are we gonna do about it?

[the_gospel_of_thomas]

I wonder if he talked to Senator Kennedy before he was interrogated?



Look - Ol' Teddy seems to be having a discussion with him, there is even a sign showing whats coming up next!

[Natchez Hawk]

O...k...A...Y.

So between jet setting between Syria and having tea with the Supreme leader of Iran when did the good colonel meet with Rober Taylor, Kim Jung Il, and the ghost of Mao Tse Tung.

I don't think the terrorist need to import weapons or car bombs from anywhere else.

[El Gato]

Warm up the BUFFs, Bones and B-2s.

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping

[Recovering Ex-hippie]

Fantastic!

[bert]

.....that the MSM continues to call these idiots insurgents and not terrorists......

I have rolled this around and determined that the person in question is an insurgent. He is the remains of Saddam's government and is fighting to restore the lost power. He is using the available means to attack, and is attacking essentially military targets. They are fighting for a political ideal.
There is another group operating in the area run by Al Zarquari. He is a foreigner, a zealot, a branch of Al Qeada. He and his followers are apparently in the minority, that is there are not a lot of them. They captured innocents and beheaded them. They are terrorists. They are fighting for a religious ideal.

In the day to day reporting it is difficult or impossible to separate the actions of these various factions. Since most targets are military, insurgents seems to me to be proper. Thus thinkith Bert

[SunkenCiv]

Ping!

[expatguy]

This is a high stakes poker game. Both Iran and Syria feel that our resolve will be hampered by public outcry should we attempt to do anything about this.