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The Irbil Five (what will we do with them?)
N.Y. Sun ^ | Jan.19, 2007

Posted on 01/19/2007 6:04:15 AM PST by nuconvert

The Irbil Five

New York Sun Staff Editorial

January 19, 2007

Quite a tug of war is going on within the Bush administration over what to do with a clutch of Iranian saboteurs seized in the Iraqi theater. The Iranians were seized only hours after President Bush, in his nationally televised address on his plan to reinforce our troops in Iraq, declared that we would interdict the efforts of our enemies to support the insurgency from redoubts in Iran and Syria. In a dramatic raid on the morning of January 10 in Irbil, American forces entered an Iranian building and took into custody five members of an Iranian group known as Quds Force. This group is the unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, named for the Arabic word for Jerusalem, responsible for supporting anti-American and anti-Jewish terrorism. The raid appeared to be vindication for hard-liners who have wanted the administration not only to focus on the problem of the Iranians and Syrians, but also to do something about it.

It turns out, however, that the capture of the Iranians ignited a feud within the administration, and this is the moment for Mr. Bush to decide whether he wants to win a war or a news cycle. Because he will surely lose both if these killers are returned to Iran. (excerpt) some administration officials are floating a scenario whereby the Irbil five would be made to sweat it out for a few weeks and then when fewer people are watching, and be sent back to the terror capital of the world. (excerpt) On one side are the Central Intelligence Agency, which has flubbed nearly every assignment it's had in this war, and the State Department, whose very DNA seems to make it incapable of supporting a hard line.

(Excerpt) Read more at nysun.com ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iran; iraq; irbil; wot
"The fact that Iran is also operating inside Iraq seems only to elude our diplomats and spies."
1 posted on 01/19/2007 6:04:18 AM PST by nuconvert
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To: nuconvert

Show trial, community service, then indentured servitude to Hollywood elites.


2 posted on 01/19/2007 6:10:07 AM PST by Bosco (Remember how you felt on September 11?)
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To: nuconvert
and the State Department, whose very DNA seems to make it incapable of supporting a hard line.

That is true. I was thinking just this morning, while reading about Hugo Chavez being given powers to rule by decree in VZ, that had it not been for the State Department's intercession, Hugo would have been dead years ago and none of this left-wing takeover of Latin America would be occurring. Why exactly do we have a State Department that is so opposed to doing anything that might protect or help the United States in any way?

3 posted on 01/19/2007 6:13:38 AM PST by livius
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To: nuconvert

They should be dead already ..


4 posted on 01/19/2007 6:17:02 AM PST by tx_eggman (Democrat Campaign Slogan - 2006: "Bring Out The Gimp!")
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To: nuconvert

Bush needs to slap down the State Dept.


5 posted on 01/19/2007 6:51:58 AM PST by pissant
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To: pissant

That will not happen.


6 posted on 01/19/2007 7:41:29 AM PST by mcshot ("If it ain't broke it doesn't have enough features." paraphrased anon.)
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To: pissant

Read my lips.....NO MORE DEALS WITH TERRORISTS, thugs, extremists and those who aide them. We stand with the moderates.


7 posted on 01/19/2007 8:04:13 AM PST by Earthdweller (All reality is based on faith in something.)
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To: Bosco

I'm sure colleges would line up to hire them.


8 posted on 01/19/2007 8:05:31 AM PST by JZelle
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To: nuconvert

Iran doesn't care if they get them back or not, they have more henchmen than they know what to do with. Get everything you need to know from them and then send them to Gitmo.


9 posted on 01/19/2007 12:57:51 PM PST by McGavin999 (Don't be a Freeploader, contribute to the upkeep of FreeRepublic)
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