Posted on 03/23/2007 8:30:31 PM PDT by jdm
While the world wonders about the attack on and abduction of 15 British sailors by Iranian forces earlier this month, US News & World Report published the details of an attack by Iranian forces on Iraqi and American troops last September:
As the British government demanded the immediate release of 15 of its sailors whose boats were seized by Iranian naval vessels in the Persian Gulf on Friday, U.S. News has learned that this is not the first showdown that coalition forces have had with the Iranian military.
According to a U.S. Army report out of Iraq obtained by U.S. News, American troops, acting as advisers for Iraqi border guards, were recently surrounded and attacked by a larger unit of Iranian soldiers, well within the border of Iraq.
The report highlights the details: A platoon of Iranian soldiers on the Iraqi side of the border fired rocket-propelled grenades and used small arms against a joint patrol of U.S. and Iraqi soldiers east of Balad Ruz. Four Iraqi Army soldiers, one interpreter, and one Iraqi border policeman remain unaccounted for after the September incident in eastern Diyala, 75 miles east of Baghdad.
The Coalition forces saw three Iranian soldiers in Iraqi territory. As they approached, two of them ran back across the border, but one remained in Iraq. The joint force started interrogating the Iranian, and that's when the attack commenced. A stronger contingent of Iranians materialized and threatened to attack the US/Iraqi patrol if they tried to leave. While the Iranian captain told them this, his forces started firing on the patrol with small arms and RPGs.
The Iraqis and Americans returned fire at that point, and they took no casualties. However, the forces were unable to account for a half-dozen Iraqis after the incident. The report does not say whether the missing men were ever found or released by the Iranians, assuming they were captured.
This isn't the first time Iran has captured British sailors, either. In June 2004, they seized three British patrol boats and detained eight sailors. Teheran released them shortly afterwards, but analysts believed that they wanted to shift attention from the recently-released IAEA report that accused them of dishonesty in violating the non-proliferation agreement. They also may have wanted to push oil prices higher in order to make Bush's re-election more difficult.
Iran should take care. The British still have diplomatic relations, and so far have acted as a brake on American action against the mullahcracy. London may decide that the Iranians aren't worth the effort.
"... how do you get the youth back? Simple: Provoke an attack by an external power..."
HI Spetz, haven't seen you in a while.
You are very astute. And Walid Phares (whose opinion I have a great deal of respect for) makes the same point....
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1806021/posts
Short of irrefutable, overwhelming evidence that Iran has their nukes up and running, they KNOW Bush and Blair don't have the support needed to launch any pre-emptive strikes, and certainly we don't have the ground capability to invade Iran until Iraq is under control, unless we want to pull everyone out of Korea and Europe.
So "baiting" Bush and Blair seems perfectly logical.
"So you can't understand it, is that correct? Our congress is threatening to cut funds for the war we're already in and YOU want Bush to start another one? If you were so tough, then why didn't you make sure the democrats didn't get in power so they could attempt to publically castrate Bush and our military?"
Are you dense? I didn't advocate starting another war, merely responding. As for Democrats, I didn't vote for them and never will. Its unfortunate for you that this actually needs to be explained to you.
Not really. They would love to make Blair & Bush look bad, and both are so politically weak now that I can understand their calculus. I agree with them in the respect that I don't see the UK getting physical over this situation. Score one for Iran.
re post #62 - excellent summation
Iran could invade the U.S. and the Lib/ Jihad Firster alliance would still defend the Mullahs.
You're right. But oil is fungible: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fungible
Nice little tap dance there. Let's see, you want a response but not a war. What do you suggest, a diplomatic courier? FGS we're already taking out their leadership in Iraq and their top officers are defecting like crazy, what more response do you want? Plug up their sewers?
I'd go for that, but I don't want to know where the B-1s are, even though Russia/China/N. Korea have kept them well-informed, no doubt.
I agree the "Twelver" agenda is a huge concern.
That's been my take. Putin and cronies don't buy into the Mahdi thing, but have been/will use it to their full advantage. IMO
That doesn't pass the smell test. Ahmadinejad is Persian. He doesn't want Arab help; he wants to crush Arabs. "Uniting" Arabs is the last thing that Iran (read: Persia) wants.
Persians and Arabs have been at war for thousands of years longer than Islam has existed, and will be at war for thousands of years after Islam is long gone.
It's genetic.
What's your problem, buddy? Are you even coherent?
When a foreign army attacks our army we should respond. That doesn't mean full scale war, but it does mean sending a message. The president should have publically announced the attack and immediately order a few cruise missiles into the Iranian army installation across the border from this incident. That will send a message the Iranians (and the American people) will understand. If you disagree with that then you and I simply disagree on tactics.
You need to go take a long walk. Clear your mind and drop the childish attitude.
As to what they've done in Iraq, if you would inform yourself, you'd find we haven't been idle on that front.
"would the French help?"
Nope, the only effective fighting force the Frence have is the foreign legion. It is only effective because it is NOT manned entirely with Frenchmen.
Besides, a French carrier would probably surrender if fired upon by a tug boat, or they would try to sell it to the Iranians. The Frence are the whores of the world, willing to sell anything to anyone at anytime.
Actually, the French can fight quite effectively when they want to, but that wasn't my point. I was referencing the humorous ambiguity of a classic joke punch line, but it appears you are unfamiliar with it. I guess I'm just showing my age... /grin
"Uh....I hate to bring this to your attention, but the captured sailors and Marines were BRITISH. Yes, they are our allies, but it's THEIR call, not ours."
Uh... hate to bring this to your attention, but the story that heads this thread is actually about AMERICAN FORCES being attacked, not British forces. The name of the thread is "Iran Attacked US Forces In September". Its that part of the story that I am posting about. Got it?
"As to what they've done in Iraq, if you would inform yourself, you'd find we haven't been idle on that front."
I'm quite well informed. You, on the other hand, don't seem to be able to sort out one bit of news from another.
You have any other brilliant observations you'd like to make?
Why absolutely not, I bow before your superior intellect, especially since this is MARCH and you're making comments about something that took place months ago. Of course, in the mean time, there have been plane loads of IRC that have gone down, uprisings in the west and east and north of Iran and here you are whining about us not doing enough. But don't let me interrupt your whine fest and Bush bashing.
I see. I caught you asleep at the wheel so you start harping on dates rather than content. Pathetic.
Then you end with the 'Bush bashing" cliche. I voted for Bush, twice. I support him in this war. But there are a number of things he should have done and didn't do, and that is the core of my complaint with this incident. I know it disturbs you, but Bush isn't infallible.
Further, I am acutely aware of the uprisings in Iran and the Iranain agents we've been whacking in Iraq. You don't hold a monopoly on this information. You may fancy yourself "Captain Iraq Information" but you clearly have a reading comprehension problem. So far you've demonstrated a serious lack of clarity and coherence.
The bottom line here is that you are a dedicated Bush Bandwagon trumpet player. Anyone who criticizes him is to be targeted by you, rational or otherwise.
It's too bad, really. We probably agree on a great many things, but you let your juvenile attitude get in the way of civilized discourse.
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