Talk Is Cheap
NYT: Attacks by Iranian-supplied EFPs spiked in July, military says.
The devices, known as explosively formed penetrators, were used to carry out 99 attacks last month and accounted for a third of the combat deaths suffered by the American-led forces, according to American military officials.
“July was an all-time high,” Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, said in an interview, referring to strikes with such devices.
…
General Odierno said Iran was increasing its support to Shiite militants in Iraq to step up the military pressure on the United States at a time when the Congress is debating whether to withdraw American troops.
“I think it is because the Iranians are surging support to the special groups,” he said, referring to the American name for Iranian-backed cells here. “Over the last three to four months, it has picked up in terms of equipment, training and dollars.”
“I think they want to influence the decision potentially coming up in September,” he added.
Strangely, it is necessary to get to the second-to-last graph … Graph 22, to be specific, before one learns that we are engaged in talks with Iran about reducing violence and stabilizing Iraq, even as the Iranian-backed campaign to murder our soldiers is intensifying. Sounds like there’s a lot to talk about. It’s important to adopt the right tone, however. It is important to speak to people in a language they understand.
Topics: Iran, Iraq, media, military
Posted by Jules Crittenden at 9:51 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2007
9 Responses to “Talk Is Cheap”
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August 8th, 2007 at 10:18 am
I was glad to read of a heavy strike in Sadr city this morning, 32 militia men dead.
” A U.S.-led raid and airstrike targeting networks allegedly smuggling weapons and fighters from Iran killed 32 suspected militants Wednesday in Baghdad’s Shiite stronghold of Sadr City, the military said.”
“The individuals detained and the terrorists killed during the raid are believed to be members of a cell of a Special Groups terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq, as well as bringing militants from Iraq into Iran for terrorist training,” the military said.
AP
I am sickened everytime I hear of an EFP death in Iraq. The proper response should be the destruction of the Qods infrustructure and personnel in Iran, starting with our former Embassy in Tehran, now their headquarters.
We should make in clear that the ratio get increasing disproportionate for the Mahdi Army. 1 to 9 today, 1 to 20 the EFP, 1 to 50 the next EFP.
August 8th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Iran in Afghanistan
Iran is the key to the whole region. The United States will never be able to leave behind a stable Iraq and Afghanistan as long as the regime in Iran is allowed run roughshod in the region.
August 8th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Peace Like a River says: “The United States will never be able to leave behind a stable Iraq and Afghanistan as long as the regime in Iran is allowed run roughshod in the region.”
Actually Afghan President Karzai said this week that: “Iran has been a supporter of Afghanistan in the peace process that we have and the fight against terror and the fight against narcotics in Afghanistan. … We have had very very good, very very close relations. … Iran has been a helper and a solution.”
Iran had offered to do the same with Iraq, since Iraq is now run by Iran-friendly Shiites. But since that would give Iran entirely too much power in the region, the U.S. will not. The conflict with Iran is all about regional power, not about Iraq.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:08 pm
You missed the best graf in the NYT art:
“Some critics of Bush administration policy, saying there is no proof that the top echelons of Iran’s government are involved, accuse the White House of exaggerating the role of Iran and Syria to divert attention from its own mistakes.”
I assume that the “some critics” is the editor who inserted this bit of twaddle, and the turd in his pocket.
August 8th, 2007 at 2:13 pm
Sounds to me like Karzai is doing a little manipulative politicking to get what he wants out of the administration. The man’s not stupid. He knows what would happen to him and his country if he really got into bed with the Iranians.
August 8th, 2007 at 5:17 pm
Yep, Rebecca, Karzi doesn’t want Afghanistan becoming a province of Iran. That would be worse than being under the Taliban.
August 8th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
“… Iran has been a helper and a solution.”
Uh huh.
August 8th, 2007 at 6:19 pm
I suppose the same useful idiots who now say the role of Iran and Syria is exaggered by the Bush Administration “to divert attention from its own mistakes” would be saying China was helpful towards peace during the Korean War, and the Soviet Union and China were likewise helpers towards solutions in the Vietnam War. If they were old enough.
How people can say or write this with a straight face I’ll never know. I’d never want to know.
Some say we are in the process of doing a slow motion pincer move on Iran–from Iraq and Afghanistan. It is an interesting idea but it may not work fast enough. And if my child or loved one was killed by Iranian treachery, I’d be outraged at this policy. I’d want action. The Iraqis are suffering in slow motion as well. The whole region is. Iran is the problem. Syria would be nothing without Iran.
Karzai is scared. The fact he says “very, very” twice is like morse code for “help! Help! My neighbor is a serial killer!”Like many of the Iraqi politicians–most are fearful, a few would rather be under Iranian rule. Michael Leeden had a great article on the Iranian influence of Iraq politically speaking.
“Gorilla at the Table”
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NzMwYmFhZDhiNGFlMTNhZGRjZjgyMmJiYzhlMWJmNjk=
Karzai does not have his troops out there getting killed in numbers like us by Iranian arms and Iranian trained terrorists. Afghani troops are out there but we are doing the heavy lifting. The US forces are principally targeted by EFPs, rockets, and more.
Interesting take Rebecca on Karzai’s motives.
Thanks for the link Jeff. I heard about that and wanted to see it myself.
August 9th, 2007 at 11:26 am
Yes, Jeffy and Rebecca, you have explained it all and I see it so clearly now. When Karzai is praising Iran for helping secure Afghanistan and fight the Taliban, he is really fearing that Iran is going to take over his country and make it part of Iran. This is proven by a link to a Fox news story about Shiites in Baghdad (Iraq) with access to Iranian weapons.
Never mind that the Taliban are Sunnis and hate Shiites (who are the people who run Iran). That makes the “truth” too difficult, too liberal and nuanced. Instead, what Karzai is really doing is praising Iran because it’s a diplomatic thingy that will get him goodies even while Iran is helping the, um, Taliban defeat Karzai.
I can see why you conservative people have the reputation for judgment that you do.