Posted on 01/11/2007 2:03:26 AM PST by FairOpinion
ARBIL, Iraq, Jan 11 (Reuters) - U.S. forces raided the Iranian consulate office in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil on Thursday and arrested five employees, the official Iranian news agency IRNA said.
There was no immediate comment by the U.S. military on the raid which came hours after President George W. Bush vowed in a speech to interrupt what he called the "flow of support" from Iran and Syria for insurgent attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq.
The raid was the second such operation in the past month against Iranian interests in Iraq by U.S. forces.
"Around 5.00 a.m., after disarming the guards they (U.S. troops) broke into the office, without giving any explanation and arrested five employees," the official IRNA news agency reported, adding that documents and computers were seized.
It said Iran had sent a protest letter to the Iraqi Foreign Ministry.
Earlier Iraqiya state television reported the raid on the building in central Arbil and a Kurdish station said Kurdish security forces had taken over the building after the Americans left the area.
U.S. officials have repeatedly accused non-Arab, Shi'ite Iran of interfering in Iraq, where the long-oppressed Shi'ite majority is now in power.
In December, U.S. forces in Baghdad arrested a number of Iranians they said were suspected of planning attacks on Iraqi security forces, including diplomats who were later turned over to Iraqi authorities.
A U.S. official said that the arrests in December validated U.S. assertions about "Iranian meddling" in Iraq. (Additional reporting by Edmund Blair in Tehran) (Writing by Ibon Villelabeitia, editing by Diana Abdallah)
Isn't it fair to say we 'returned fire' at mosques in Fallujah?
Around 5.00 a.m., after disarming the guards they (U.S. troops) broke into the office, without giving any explanation and arrested five employees," the official IRNA news agency reported, adding that documents and computers were seized.
NOW! we are getting some action...but then again it takes time to collect intel....
"And this action nibbles away at the diplomatic immunity that keeps OUR brave diplomats safe while serving overseas. Shame on the Pentagon."
And this did a fat lot of good in Iran back in 1979, didn't it? As long as this is an Iranian embassy, I say go to guns and I don't think this does anything one way or another in terms of our own embassies.
The truth is that the enemy isn't playing by any set of rules what so ever. How many treaties have we signed? How many resolutions have the flouted?
We're in a state of war. The Iranians were insane if they thought they could stage an infiltration campaign AND maintain the 'sanctity' of their consulates.
Expect the same type of thing on UN installations in Southern Lebanon. The UN was acting picket and early warning for the Hezzies. The French have threatened to attack Israeli warplanes if overflown there.
Israel is NOT going to spare the elbow grease this time around. The UN has hung it in their rectums for the last 10 years. They are making the problem their worse, not better.
I say increase the voltage. If we are bombing the snot out of Syria in the East, they are going to be less able to make trouble for Israel in the South. Same is true for Iran.
They're at war right now without declaring it. Time to take it to them.
I don't specifically recall the Fallujah clean-up, but I do remember the timidity with which we entered Sadr City the first time. That made me sad, but I understand they were restricted in a lot of things they could do to neutralize the enemy.
I seem to recall a sodlier being set up by the mainstreammedia in Fallujah. Shooting a wounded 'unarmed' man to death inside a mosque seems to ring a bell.
In Fallujah, after a period of waiting after a warning, it didn't matter where the enemy was, they were saught out and utterly destroyed. Same thing is about to happen in the Sadr city are of Bagdahd too imho.
If I remember there was no immunity to OUR embassies..The Muslims bombed'em. This event sounds like it's connected to the dude they "rearranged" in Mogadishi (sp?).
"Be assured, they will make a big deal of it."
They will? Big deal...
Sounds like she'd be fun at parties.
Yep. Politics as usual.
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