Rat Lines Into Iraq

[TheMercenary]

A pretty good article discussing the the issue of Iranian complicity in the Iraqi insurgency:

"The Long War Journal has spoken to several mid-level and senior US military and intelligence officers, all of whom have declined to go on the record due to the sensitive nature of the Iranian issue. Based on these conversations as well as other information, The Long War Journal has learned the nature of the Qods Force operations in Iraq and how they move resources into the country."

http://www.longwarjournal.org/archiv...azan_corps.php

[classicman]

Thats a great article - thanks for sharing.

[tw]

Who is the source?

The Long War Journal is dedicated to providing original and accurate reporting and analysis of the Long War (also known as the Global War on Terror).

So it is a propaganda machine for the poltiical agenda that sees enemies hiding everywhere.

That article includes some 'glossed over' facts.

While several senior Iraqi officials and US military commanders have stated Iran has cooperated in reducing the flow of weapons and fighters into Iraq ...

Of course. And the Iranian government has repeatedly offered to coordinate their efforts with the US against these smugglers. The US has refused for political reasons. Something about not talking to our enemies - which even Reagan said is bogus.

Qods Force is no different than American suppliers to the IRA. That also proves Americans wanted to kill British soldiers? But if we admit this publication has the same political agenda as Urbane Guerrilla, then it must be credible? The majority of officers suggest the problem is not the Iranian government. The problem is Iraqi insurgents who have smuggling supply lines into Iran, Turkey, and elsewhere. The article forgets how many other countries are also sources for insurgent weapons - including Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the US. How many thousands of US weapons were distributed to 'unknowns' from even bases next door to US military facilities?

George Jr warned that Iran is building nuclear weapons to start WWIII knowing full well that the nuclear program was terminated in 2003. This article is for those who believe George Jr's mythical 'global war of terror' and also believed Saddam had WMDs. Review its quoted purpose is. There is no 'global terrorism network' except where the bogeyman also hides under everyone's bed. Weapons smugglers exist. So what? Americans also did that to British troops in Northern Ireland.

[TheMercenary]

Ted, you must have missed the quotes by the commanders. Nothing has been glossed over. It is all there with reference. But of course you want us to believe your drivel vs that of people who are actually there on the ground with years of prior service, something you do not have.

But three US commanders directly in the fight against the Special Groups in three of the most active theaters for the Ramazan Corps -- Baghdad, central provinces, and along the Iranian border -- disagree.

1)Colonel Don Farris, the commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division based in the heart of Sadr City in Baghdad, stated the Special Groups still pose a major threat. "While the violence is down, I remain very concerned in our sector about these special groups," Farris said. "They're very lethal, they're organized, they're sophisticated and I have not seen that their operations have declined or diminished in any way, shape or form here in the last several months. We have not seen any slowing down or any indicators that these special groups are going to curtail their activities or quit receiving this support that's coming from outside the country."

2)Major General Rick Lynch, the Commander of Multinational Division Central, whose area of operations includes Wasit, Karbala, Babil, and southern Baghdad provinces, is not certain Iran has reduced the flow of aid to the Shia terror groups. "I don't know what this Iranian pledge is, but the number of munitions has increased," Lynch said on November 11.

3)Colonel Mark Mueller, the commander of the border transition team in Wasit province, stated on November 20 that weapons are still moving across the border. "We do know that explosively formed penetrators are getting across the border, we do know that ... rockets are coming across the border, so of course it's a concern," Mueller said.

George Jr.... George Jr.... George Jr..... Ted, it has very little to do with him at this point.

[tw]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Ted, you must have missed the quotes by the commanders. Nothing has been glossed over. It is all there with reference. But of course you want us to believe your drivel vs that of people who are actually there on the ground with years of prior service, something you do not have.

Missing are the other source of weapons including provided by US military. Supplied because, well, deja vue Nam where the US was also a major supplier to the VC.

Smugglers exist in every war from multiple directions including what are suppose to be American allies - Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Oh. Your article forgot to mention those sources? Wonder why? Oh. The purpose of that publication is to promote some mythical world wide war on terror. How convenient that it forgets to include some other facts.

Your article has only one purpose - to promote war with Iran to those who are not 'officer material'. That same mindset created "Mission Accomplished", advocated torture for the greater glory of a political agenda, international kidnapping of innocent people all over the world, attempted to make war on North Korea, and could not even go after bin Laden. Even a war supposed to cost $2billion is now costing far beyond even my more accurate estimates of $400 billion. But then these are only facts that don't excite 'big dic' mindsets who love your article.

Does this sound angry. If so, facts strike a little too close to home. There is no anger. Just facts that expose the political agenda of wacko extremists. Remember, "Mission Accomplished" only exists because wacko extremists lied - repeatedly.

Meanwhile, a smarter perspective is posted following this one. It will be too long for Urbane Guerrilla to comprehend. But then it is not intended for wacko extremists. It is intended for others who will appreciate the contrast between your war monging article verse one that views a larger and relevant perspective.

[tw]

Instead moderates read boring essays from Richard Armitage, George Jr's former Under Secretary of State, published Sunday, 9 Dec 2007 in the Washington Post Page B03:

Stop Getting Mad, America. Get Smart.
... we put forward an angry face to the globe, not one that reflected the more traditional American values of hope and optimism, tolerance and opportunity. This fearful approach has hurt the United States' ability to bring allies to its cause, but it is not too late to change. The nation should embrace a smarter strategy that blends our "hard" and "soft" power -- our ability to attract and persuade, as well as our ability to use economic and military might. ...

Since 9/11, the war on terrorism has shaped this isolating outlook, becoming the central focus of U.S. engagement with the world. The threat from terrorists with global reach is likely to be with us for decades. But unless they have weapons of mass destruction, groups such as al-Qaeda pose no existential threat to the United States -- unlike our old foes Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.

In fact, al-Qaeda and its ilk hope to defeat us by using our own strength against us. They hope that we will blunder, overreact and turn world opinion against us. This is a deliberately set trap, and one whose grave strategic consequences extend far beyond the costs this nation would suffer from any small-scale terrorist attack, no matter how individually tragic and collectively painful. ...

More broadly, when our words do not match our actions, we demean our character and moral standing. We cannot lecture others about democracy while we back dictators. We cannot denounce torture and waterboarding in other countries and condone it at home. We cannot allow Cuba's Guantanamo Bay or Iraq's Abu Ghraib to become the symbols of American power.

The United States has long been the big kid on the block, and it will probably remain so for years to come. But its staying power has a great deal to do with whether it is perceived as a bully or a friend. ...

The past six years have demonstrated that hard power alone cannot secure the nation's long-term goals.
... the United States used its soft power to rebuild Europe and Japan and to establish the norms and institutions that became the core of the international order for the past half-century. The Cold War ended under a barrage of hammers on the Berlin Wall rather than a barrage of artillery across the Fulda Gap precisely because of this integrated approach. ...

Specifically, the United States should renew its focus on five critical areas:
We should reinvigorate the alliances, partnerships and institutions ...
We should create a Cabinet-level voice for global development ...
We should reinvest in public diplomacy within the government and establish a nonprofit institution outside of it to build people-to-people ties ...
We should sustain our engagement with the global economy ...
We should take the lead in addressing climate change and energy insecurity ...

Leadership requires more than vision. It requires execution and accountability, two features in short supply in government today. ...

The United States might be in a better position today had it not walked away from Pakistan in the 1990s and if, as the 9/11 Commission suggested, it had broadened its engagement beyond military cooperation ...

How boring. No blood. No guts. No problems solved by big guns or 'big dic' diplomacy. No evil enemy to blame. It's more exciting to ignore intelligent solutions from the 9/11 Commission and the Iraq Study Group. Instead others believe propaganda in a article intended to promote war with Iran. Funny how the former general, instead, views a world using an officer's perspective. Solutions not based in big guns and violence. But then being a moderate requires, instead, using the head located on one's shoulders.

Soft power is what Thomas Barnett also discussed. Urbane Guerrilla never understood it even in the few chapters he actually read. Amazing how UG found an idol in Barnett's book and yet never understood the content. But again, it requires officer's material. Barnett was also boring as is the above logic (without 'big dic' excitement of war and death) from Richard Armitage.

Smart power? Like mimes mocking a White Power demonstration. There are no smarts in 'big dic' thinking promote by that article. A "Long War Journal" article of selected facts intended only to promote war with Iran. An article that fails to see the real threat as defined by Armitage and Nye.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by tw

Missing are the other source of weapons including provided by US military. Supplied because, well, deja vue Nam where the US was also a major supplier to the VC.

Smugglers exist in every war from multiple directions including what are suppose to be American allies - Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. Oh. Your article forgot to mention those sources? Wonder why? Oh. The purpose of that publication is to promote some mythical world wide war on terror. How convenient that it forgets to include some other facts.

Your article has only one purpose - to promote war with Iran to those who are not 'officer material'. That same mindset created "Mission Accomplished", advocated torture for the greater glory of a political agenda, international kidnapping of innocent people all over the world, attempted to make war on North Korea, and could not even go after bin Laden. Even a war supposed to cost $2billion is now costing far beyond even my more accurate estimates of $400 billion. But then these are only facts that don't excite 'big dic' mindsets who love your article.

Does this sound angry. If so, facts strike a little too close to home. There is no anger. Just facts that expose the political agenda of wacko extremists. Remember, "Mission Accomplished" only exists because wacko extremists lied - repeatedly.

Meanwhile, a smarter perspective is posted following this one. It will be too long for Urbane Guerrilla to comprehend. But then it is not intended for wacko extremists. It is intended for others who will appreciate the contrast between your war monging article verse one that views a larger and relevant perspective.

No the purpose of the article is to provide a report about the infiltration of Iranian arms, equipment, and training into Iraq that is directly responsible for the death of US and other countries soldiers. Information provided by people who are there who have no agenda other than to give us facts from people who know what is going on. Beats the spattering of the lunitic fringe from here who know nothing more than what they want to believe from antiwar.com. Your wacko extremist views cannot trump the facts on the ground. No one I know is egar to get into another shooting war, esp with Iran.

[tw]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

No the purpose of the article is to provide a report about the infiltration of Iranian arms, equipment, and training into Iraq that is directly responsible for the death of US and other countries soldiers.

People in-country discuss all facts. They report the US military was also arming insurgents. Due to too few troops, massive munition dumps are left unguarded and unexploded. Other supply sources are from Turkey, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, etc. Oh. Not found in that article? Why are so many facts forgotten? Only Iran is complicit? It is called wacko extremist propaganda. The publication exists to promote more war on some "international world wide terrorism conspiracy" - the bogeyman. Who promotes terror all over the world? Iran? Wacko extremisms also called myths.

Iranians were even working with the Iraqi government on cooperation. Iranians offered to coordinate anti-smuggling activities with the US. Why are these facts 'accidentally' forgotten in an article intended to promote 'war on international world-wide evil empire terror promoters'? Why does Iran end up on that 'enemies list' at the same time that George Jr is also promoting fear of WW III? Where is this mythical world wide international conspiracy? It does not exist. The real enemy is clearly defined by logic in that Armitage piece. But it requires one to be officer material - to see the bigger picture.

George Jr is making same mythical claims with WWIII myths added for extra measure. George lied while knowing 6 months previously that Iran had no nuclear bomb program. If George Jr continues his propaganda, well, the same lies worked to create "Mission Accomplished". Why stop now? Plenty of Urbane Guerrillas are out there. A liar will say anything to hype up the naïve. As Armitage notes,

They hope that we will blunder, overreact and turn world opinion against us. This is a deliberately set trap, and one whose grave strategic consequences extend far beyond the costs this nation would suffer from any small-scale terrorist attack, no matter how individually tragic and collectively painful. ...

That "Long War Journal" article is written for those who understand a gun is dangerous only "because it make a big noise". There are consequences to such stupidity - as Armitage notes. But it requires a grasp found only in officer material.

America refuses to talk to Iran even when Iran offers to coordinate anti-smuggling activities. So Reagan is correct? America is doing as necessary to create war.

The Iraq Study Group long ago defined a solution to this problem. But logical solutions get lost when the political agenda promotes only 'big dic' thinking. Important points made by Armitage are completely missing in that "Long War Journal" article for good reason. That article is a simplistic propaganda tool - chock full of half-truths - to promote the Iran war that Pres Cheney wants.

It was called "Wag the Dog". President's popularity was too low. So they created a mythical war and mythical enemies to boost his ratings. Fool me twice ... and still some people don't get it. Deja vue - as long as someone does not rewrite history.

[tw]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

No one I know is egar to get into another shooting war, esp with Iran.

His name is Urbane Guerrilla.
Another is the son of George H W Bush.
Third is Cheney.
You do know these people?

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by tw

His name is Urbane Guerrilla.
Another is the son of George H W Bush.
Third is Cheney.
You do know these people?

I don't care what those people think. I don't care what you think either, but I think you know that.

[classicman]

Al Qaeda seen planning attack on U.S.

Mr. Hayden added that waterboarding was only used those three times as a necessary measure to handle the imminent threat posed by the terrorist organization.

"We used it against these three detainees because of the circumstances at the time," Mr. Hayden said. "There was the belief that additional catastrophic attacks against the homeland were inevitable. And we had limited knowledge about al Qaeda and its workings. Those two realities have changed." The three al Qaeda detainees were Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11 terrorist attacks; Abu Zubaydah, an early member of al Qaeda and close associate of bin Laden and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, behind the USS Cole bombing and who headed al Qaeda operations in the Persian Gulf before he was captured in November 2002.

The three captives were interrogated in 2002 and 2003 and waterboarding has not been used since, Mr. Hayden said.

[deadbeater]

I have a question: why didn't you expect Iran get involved in the Iraq war? Supplying insurgents serve to prevent the US and the coalition from engaging a few forays into Iran a la Cambodia during the Vietnam war. Fights in one nation nowadays tend to affect other nations immediately surrounding it.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by deadbeater

I have a question: why didn't you expect Iran get involved in the Iraq war? Supplying insurgents serve to prevent the US and the coalition from engaging a few forays into Iran a la Cambodia during the Vietnam war. Fights in one nation nowadays tend to affect other nations immediately surrounding it.

I don't know if you are asking me, but if you were, I certainly never said that I didn't expect Iran to get involved. If I had my way we would have done a better job of closing up the border and rat lines and hammer those who were caught inside Iraq before they moved more than 25 meters.

[deadbeater]

Then why concentrate on closing the border with Iran instead of the 800 mile border with Saudi Arabia, the home of 15 of the 19 terrorists of 9/11, the spiritual origin of al-Qaeda, where most of the support for al-Qaeda comes from? You know that Iraqis have enmity towards Arabs. Are Iranians Arabs?

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by deadbeater

Then why concentrate on closing the border with Iran instead of the 1800 mile border with Saudi Arabia, the home of 15 of the 19 terrorists of 9/11, the spiritual origin of al-Qaeda, etc? You know that Iraqis have enmity towards Arabs. Are Iranians Arabs?

I don't have those answers. Strategic decisions are way above my pay grade. I would guess that more people are coming across the Syria/Saudi border, more arms across the Iranian border.

No, Iraians are NOT Arabs. Study your history.