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March 25, 2008
Iran 'behind Green Zone attack' ~ Gen.David Petraeus
Plumes of thick black smoke rises from central Baghdad's Green Zone after a rocket attack March 23, 2008. Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses the Iraqi parliament and U.S. embassy, was hit by a sustained barrage of rocket or mortar bomb fire early on Sunday, witnesses and officials said.
The most senior US general in Iraq has said he has evidence that Iran was behind Sunday's bombardment of Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.
Gen David Petraeus told the BBC he thought Tehran had trained, equipped and funded insurgents who fired the barrage of mortars and rockets.
He said Iran was adding what he described as "lethal accelerants" to a very combustible mix.
There has as yet been no response from Iran to the accusations.
In response to the news that 4,000 US military personnel have now been killed in Iraq, he said it showed how much the mission had cost but added that Americans were realistic about it.
He also said a great deal of progress had been made because of the "flipping" of communities - the decision by Sunni tribes to turn against al-Qaeda militants.
The extent of this had surprised even the US military, he said.
'Promises violated'
In an interview with BBC world affairs editor John Simpson, Gen Petraeus said violence in Iraq was being perpetuated by Iran's Quds Force, a branch of the Revolutionary Guards.
The attacks led to 15 civilian deaths
"The rockets that were launched at the Green Zone yesterday, for example... were Iranian-provided, Iranian-made rockets," he said, adding that the groups that fired them were funded and trained by the Quds Force.
"All of this in complete violation of promises made by President Ahmadinejad and the other most senior Iranian leaders to their Iraqi counterparts."
The barrage hit the Green Zone on Sunday morning. Some rockets missed their targets killing 15 Iraqi civilians.
Later in the day four US soldiers died when their patrol vehicle was blown up by a bomb in southern Baghdad, putting the total number of US fatalities above 4,000.
This and other bloodshed on Sunday came despite an overall reduction in violence since last June, when the US deployed an extra 30,000 troops for the surge.
Days earlier, Mr Bush marked the fifth anniversary of the invasion, saying that it had made the world a better place.
Wild Thing's comment........
It will always tick me off that this was allowed.
Ahmadinejad On Iraq Visit on March 3 of this year.
http://www.theodoresworld.net/archives/2008/03/ahmadinejad_on_iraq_visit.html
To let him come ofr a visit like that when for a long time now we have been told by our awesome military how Iran is sending insurgents and weapons to Iraq.
Posted by Wild Thing at March 25, 2008 02:47 AM
Comments
If they know Iran was behind the attacks, why then isn't anything being done about it? Why not use a couple of these multi-billion dollar B-2's and place a couple j-dams into a few select targets? Maybe then, Iran will get the message?
Posted by: BobF at March 25, 2008 07:23 AM
Remind me again...who's the enemy? I'm so confused!
Geez Louise! 2 steps forward and 3 back! All because certain leaders don't want to offend certain other leaders??
I say "Offend Away"!
But then I'm a leeetle prickly today. Too much CSPAN - need a break...
Posted by: yankeemom at March 25, 2008 08:39 AM
Yes Bob, I also wonder why not. Knock off a couple ayatollah palaces and a Quds barracks in the middle of the night and maybe the Iranians would relearn fear. It might also encourage the large internal opposition to the present Iranian government.
Posted by: TomR at March 25, 2008 10:57 AM
We are hopeless with our hands tied to the ROE's of the UN, insane to operate by their dictates yet they give no support only obstruction. Maliki spent 23 years in Iran and Syria, if he wasn't an indoctrinated islamofascist before he had a quarter of a century to get there. Moqtada al Sadr was allowed free passage to Iran, he's back and Maliki is once again harboring the raghead radical and his Iranian backing. Maliki is play both sides and Jorge is a globalist astraddle the highwire. It's all about common interest and that damned sure isn't ours. The UN Charter spells it all out:
PREAMBLE
WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED
to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom,
AND FOR THESE ENDS
to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours, and to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security, and to ensure, by the acceptance of principles and the institution of methods, that armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest, and to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples,
HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS
Accordingly, our respective Governments, through representatives assembled in the city of San Francisco, who have exhibited their full powers found to be in good and due form, have agreed to the present Charter of the United Nations and do hereby establish an international organization to be known as the United Nations.
Posted by: Jack at March 25, 2008 02:30 PM
Bob I am all for doing what you said. Yes I sure am!!
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 25, 2008 06:02 PM
Yankeemom, I will join you in that too, I agree about who cares if we offend them.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 25, 2008 06:08 PM
Tom...."It might also encourage the large internal opposition to the present Iranian government."....yes and that would be good too if that could happen.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 25, 2008 06:10 PM
Jack, that UN Charter is so horrible!!! And for our country to have to give even one glance at what they want just creeps me out as well as angers me.
Posted by: Wild Thing at March 25, 2008 06:14 PM
