Posted on 01/11/2007 12:50:49 AM PST by saganite
WASHINGTON — U.S. forces will step up their offensive against Iranians and Syrians in Iraq as part of President Bush's new plan for the country, American officials said Wednesday, in a step likely to further inflame Washington's relationship with Tehran.
U.S. officials contend that Iran and Syria have been allowing militants to enter Iraq from their territory, and accuse Tehran of providing arms, money and training to Shiite Muslim militias. In his speech laying out the plan, Bush bluntly warned the two countries that American forces would "disrupt" their activities and said he was sending U.S. warships to the region.
"We will interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria," Bush said. "And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq."
Bush administration documents describing the plan say Iran "has been cultivating influence in Iraq through all means at its disposal." The documents describe the aggressive new administration policy as a "key operational shift" for the U.S.
The papers say Syrian actions pose "less of a strategic threat to Iraq than the Iranian actions" but compound the challenges faced by the fledgling Iraqi government.
A tough new U.S. approach to Iran is likely to sharpen frictions with the Shiite-led Iraqi government, which has close and valued ties with its eastern neighbor.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
I would like to know what was transported to Syria before the war.
FYI
And note:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1765759/posts
Gloves are off!
The fault all along has been with the Iraqi government. If the Iraqis are finally prepared to step up and do what they must, then this will succeed, surge or no surge.
If the gloves are off militarily, and if the Iraqis take the political steps that should have been taken six or nine months ago, like formal arrangements for sharing the oil revenue, then real progress will come.
Everyone, and I mean everyone, likes to paint Bush as a dolt who has no idea what is going on. The conventional wisdom is that he's stubbornly throwing good money after bad. But that surely could not be; there is too much pushback from all sides to accommodate that. There is a plan here, with a real likelihood of success. The interesting question is this: Why is Bush so reluctant to make that case? I have to believe that the reason is that it would be too politically incorrect to come right out and say it.
"Watch the Dems start apologizing to Iran and Syria now."
Rockefeller is on it
Apologizing? Hah! They would add them to our Social Security and food stamp program to buy their love.
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