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.
This was your post. We have responded, in kind, and one up. The take down of the IRC plane was tit for tat USA style. The only ones who haven't responded YET are the Brits. I gave you the benefit of the doubt by assuming you were not talking about a 6 month old incident, but nope, you're openly admitting your discussing old news when the news of the day is the British hostages, but what the hey.
Still with the attitude...
Just let it go rookie. You've been beaten, bested and humiliated As George Kennedy said in 'Cool Hand Luke'... "Stay down!"
LOL, you really are impressed with yourself. Well, it's probably for the best since you don't impress anyone else.
It's not so much that I'm impressed with myself, it's just that it was so easy for me to get your goat.
I still have it.
Now, if you'd like to continue this then take it off-line, off of this thread.
Not interested. If you're lonely, and I can certainly understand why you would be, then I suggest you go try that line on someone else. I've been here too long to fall for that off line crap.
Here is one thought from DU that I swiped from their site:
"Newsjock (1000+ posts) Sat Mar-24-07 10:27 PM
Response to Original message
1. What's that giant sucking sound I hear?
Oh, it's just the price of oil going back up to the level Cheney wants it to be. Well played, Dick. And as for US "News," looks like you just got played. Suckers."
hehehehehe, they are sooooooo bright to pick this up so quickly /s
Another leftist rag.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.