Inside Iran's Secret War For Iraq

Time ^

[jmc1969]

The U.S. military's new nemesis in Iraq is named Abu Mustafa al-Sheibani, and he is not a Baathist or a member of al-Qaeda. He is working for Iran. According to a U.S. military-intelligence document obtained by Time, al-Sheibani heads a network of insurgents created by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps with the express purpose of committing violence against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq. O

ver the past eight months, his group has introduced a new breed of roadside bomb more lethal than any seen before; based on a design from the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hizballah, the weapon employs "shaped" explosive charges that can punch through a battle tank's armor like a fist through the wall. According to the document, the U.S. believes al-Sheibani's team consists of 280 members, divided into 17 bombmaking teams and death squads. The U.S. believes they train in Lebanon, in Baghdad's predominantly Shi'ite Sadr City district and "in another country" and have detonated at least 37 bombs against U.S. forces this year in Baghdad alone.

Since the start of the insurgency in Iraq, the most persistent danger to U.S. troops has come from the Sunni Arab insurgents and terrorists who roam the center and west of the country. But some U.S. officials are worried about a potentially greater challenge to order in Iraq and U.S. interests there: the growing influence of Iran.

[jmc1969]

Damn, we need to deal with these guys.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

So Iran has already declared war against us in a covert way.

[EagleUSA]

Damn, we need to deal with these guys.
------
Yes, let's go the U.N., no, better yet, let's send someone really tough to get the job done!!!

*** JOHN KERRY ***

[SteveMcKing]

Why are they still on the map, I want to know. Don't deal with Iran - destroy it.

[Eagles6]

Unfortunately, this comes from time so we don't know if it's true or not. Sounds like it could be and I have faith that our people over there are doing their best to deal with it. Remember, time wants us to lose and that's the way their stories will slant.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

Why are they still on the map, I want to know. Don't deal with Iran - destroy it.



Iran still has a butt-kickin' coming to it for the hostage taking incindent in the late 70's. They have gotten off too easy.

[Lone Red Ranger]

loose lips, sinq ships.

I don't want Time reporting on US intelligence matters.

WTS, covert action has been warranted in Iran for decades. I hope we know more than Time and that we are doing what we can to not only prevent Iranian intervention in Iraq, but also working to actively destabilize the current Iranian government. Their influcence is corrosive to peace, and their government is a cancer on the freedom of their people, and the metastasis for terrorism. Removing this cancer is good for everyone except those anti-life elements that contitute the cancer.

[CatoRenasci]

One group at a time; let's first put paid to the Sunni terrorists, then deal with the Iranian backed Shiites.

[ScreamingFist]

his group has introduced a new breed of roadside bomb more lethal than any seen before; based on a design from the Iranian-backed Lebanese militia Hizballah, the weapon employs "shaped" explosive charges that can punch through a battle tank's armor like a fist through the wall.

LOL.....terrorists and Times reporters are now learning big words liked "shaped charge".......oooohhhhhh...I quake in my boots. What a bunch of malarkey.

[jim-x]

Many of our problems started with Iran in 1979. They have actively opposed us in the Middle East, promoted terrorism and supported terrorists. They support Al Qaida and many believe offer sanctuary to them.

They have been actively opposing us in Iraq since the beginning; training, transporting, and supplying elements of the insurgency. There were reports they were training and supplying Al Sadr's army last year. Now they are reported to be supplying high-grade explosives to the terrorists and actively supporting and participating in attacks against US forces. (Ah, but we don't believe the Iranian government is involved. Do we really think things of this magnitude are not known by the Iranian government?)

We will be unable to defeat radical islam until we deal with Iran and destroy the Iranian Islamic Revolution - hopefully before they become a nuclear power (and without killing a lot of Iranian civilians, many/most of whom are not sympathetic with thier government).

[grey_whiskers]

Shaped charges have been around for ages; the successor to the HESH (high-explosive squash head) technology IIRC.

Cheers!

[ScreamingFist]

Shaped charges have been around for ages; the successor to the HESH (high-explosive squash head) technology IIRC. Cheers!

Exactly, I believe the improvised munition books also discussed shaped charges from coke bottles. Glad to see the big bad terrorists have discovered the Internet. When the Iranians start "improvising" cruise missiles I'll start taking notice......

[free_at_jsl.com]

Well, you might be interested in Pakistan's latest cruise missle test then...

[ScreamingFist]

Well, you might be interested in Pakistan's latest cruise missle test then...

Yes, notice that plumb evades the Times. However "shaped charges" are something to be feared.....lord I hate the MSM.

[SevenMinusOne]

Exactly, I believe the improvised munition books also discussed shaped charges from coke bottles. Glad to see the big bad terrorists have discovered the Internet. When the Iranians start "improvising" cruise missiles I'll start taking notice

Agreed -

[Blind Eye Jones]

The problem of containment will not go away. As long as Iran, Syria and Pakistan have a militant Islamist faction, Iraq will constantly have to defend itself. Which it may not want to do, if its religious feeling are in the least favorable towards the terrorists and insurgents. Julius Cesar once said, "divide and conquer" but the US is now waging a war on two fronts against two enemies (Syria and Iran) and also in the middle of Iraq (Sunni triangle). World domination of Islam is a non issue for Europe who would watch from the sidelines as the US & Britain take on the bulk of the threat. Can the coalition contain or eliminate the threat? Only it the Iraqis will fight for Iraq and not Islam. If the US gives up on Iraq then the insurgents and Jihadists will surely win and the west will look weak in the eyes of the terrorists -- Osama would be right in his assessment of America. But how can America effectively win this war? The worst and best case scenario is to attack Syria and Iran and be done with it, perhaps nuke them, instead of fighting a slow war of attrition and trying to plug a porous border. In many ways this is a bad answer for the best answer is to have our belief in Democracy and human rights win out over the precepts of a fanatic religion. Yet, all religions are blind in some ways and this one is particularly blind to our way of life. It does not appeal to reason and humanity but to a blind 12th century faith for its truth. Religion has an incredible fascination and hold over men's mind... it will make them do just about anything, including murder and suicide. If this brand of Islam demands death and suicide perhaps we should nuke Mecca and give them a taste of what the fight for the heart and souls of men can mean in the long run. Rome had Carthage to contend with for many years and that threat never went away until they level the city and salted the earth. Perhaps Mecca should be turned into a lake of salt. We've done it before to avert a large scale threat and the high cost of human life... and so in line with the containment of an unseen murderous viper slithering throughout the world.

[iThinkBig]

"Iran still has a butt-kickin' coming to it for the hostage taking incindent in the late 70's. They have gotten off too easy."

Allowing them to do whatever they damn well please for 30 years in the Middle East has been a catastrophe. It has them feeling mighty arrogant.

[iThinkBig]

"If the US gives up on Iraq then the insurgents and Jihadists will surely win and the west will look weak in the eyes of the terrorists -- Osama would be right in his assessment of America. But how can America effectively win this war? The worst and best case scenario is to attack Syria and Iran and be done with it, perhaps nuke them, instead of fighting a slow war of attrition and trying to plug a porous border."

Another nuke em and get it over with nut-job. Do you people really live on earth with me? Do some searching on the effects of nuclear fallout, even smaller, battlefield size nukes and then tell me this is a viable option. The real truth is that we only give a damn about the Middle East because of oil. That being said, we get off of Middle East oil and then we can create policy to encourage democracy. That is an easier road then what we are taking now, but the greedy do not care if your son or daughter dies over there.

Some times democratic influence works, such as Jordan and Egypt. Sometimes it does not. We do not know if this will work in Iraq at this point or not. We do not know if the Islamic Revolution will end in our lifetime. Influence is fine, defending yourself is fine. Nuking people off the earth and causing a global conflaguration is not fine.

[LoudRepublicangirl]

It has them feeling mighty arrogant.


What also bothers me is that European and other countries have continued to do business with them regardless of their obvious ties to Hezbollah and Syria.

[iThinkBig]

"What also bothers me is that European and other countries have continued to do business with them regardless of their obvious ties to Hezbollah and Syria."

Europe has lost a lot of their Christian heritage and practice. They care less about evil and injustice these days in any form. Historically, Europe sat idle when Hitler came to power and only reacted when German tanks began entering into the respective countries.