Iran general said to mastermind Iraq ground war

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-EXCITE

By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA and VIVIAN SALAMA

BAGHDAD (AP) — When Islamic State militants retreated from the embattled town of Jurf al-Sakher last week, the Iraqi military was quick to flaunt a rare victory against the extremist group, with state television showing tanks and Humvees parading through the town and soldiers touring government buildings that had been occupied by the militants since August.

However, photos soon emerged on independent Iraqi news websites revealing a more discreet presence — the powerful Iranian general Ghasem Soleimani — whose name has become synonymous with the handful of victories attributed to Iraqi ground forces. Local commanders said Lebanon's powerful Shiite Hezbollah group was also on the front lines.

Shiite militias have played a key role in driving the Islamic State group out of the so-called Baghdad Belt of Sunni villages ringing the capital. But the sectarian militias have long been implicated in brutality against the country's Sunnis, and while they have benefited from U.S.-led airstrikes, their advance could undermine efforts to knit the troubled country together.

Militia commanders told The Associated Press that dozens of advisers from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and the Lebanese Hezbollah were on the front lines in Jurf al-Sakher, providing weapons training to some 7,000 troops and militia fighters, and coordinating with military commanders ahead of the operation.

FULL story at link.



FILE - In this Sunday, Sept. 28, 2014 file photo, Iraqi Shiite militiamen fire their weapons during clashes with militants from the Islamic State group, in Jurf al-Sakhar, 43 miles (70 kilometers) south of Baghdad, Iraq. The powerful Iranian general Ghasem Soleimani whose name has become synonymous with the handful of victories attributed to Iraqi ground forces. Soleimani{2019}s ability to command the loyalty of Iraq{2019}s various Shiite militias has become a major factor in securing the area around the capital known as the Baghdad Belt, including a number of Sunni towns that were preyed upon by the extremist group. (AP Photo, File)

Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20141105/ml--iraq-irans_hidden_hand-a401aa5b96.html

[Amonester]

1. Sigh... Humans, Guns & Religions...

[candelista]

2. So it's "Pick Your Poison."

Sunni crazies or Shia crazies.

Disclaimer: not all Sunnis and Shia are crazy. Just the crazy ones.

[FrodosPet]

6. You are wrong there

According to the "Affleck vs Maher" precedent, reinforced by students at UC-Berkeley, criticisms applied to ANY Muslims, or any part of Islamic traditions and beliefs, is automatically a bigoted attack on ALL Muslims.

[Comrade Grumpy]

3. We should be working with Iran on this.

We're both supporting the Iraqi government.

[TwilightGardener]

5. Doing so would alienate the Arab states that are in the coalition.

The whole point of ISIS was meant (by at least some of those countries) to hedge against Shia domination by using Sunni terrorism. Now they realize that was a mistake, but their original goal of not strengthening Iran's hand hasn't changed. It's a thorny mess.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. As you noted, those states are part of the problem.

Thorny mess, indeed.

[The Stranger]

4. After War Criminal/Neocons Chimp, Cheney and Rumsfeld de-miliitarized and de-Ba'athisized Iraq,

and dismantled the state with "schlock and awe," ISIS was the logical and inevitable result.

Remind me again why they aren't hanging?

[happyslug]

8. There is something WRONG about that photo.....

The two men on each end could be Iraqis, but the man in the Middle? He looks a little to white to me AND his AR type weapon is using a very advance sight NOT the standard M16 sight and carry handle seen on the other two men's M16s.

The Load bearing Equipment (LBE) of that middle solider looks a little to modern and recently made for use by Militia.

Now, the Iraqi Army has purchased a lot of AR-15 (M-16 and M4 Carbines) that could have ended up in the hands of the Militia, but most of the Militia was still armed with AK-47s. One of the accusation of the Iraqi Army formed by the US was it was so corrupt, units were selling off weapons (such as M16s and M-4 Carbines) that had been issued to that unit, for men the unit had on the books but never really ever recruited. Thus the Militia may have ended up with AR-15 type weapons. If you have AR-15 type weapons you equip units with just that weapon, you do NOT mix it with AK-47s. The reason is simple both weapons take different ammunition and by having just one of the weapon in a unit you minimize re-supply problems.

Thus M16 being in the hands of the Militia should not be a surprise, but the AR-15 weapon in the Middle is NOT an M16, M16A1 or M16A2. It is an AR-15 type weapon, but NOT an issue M16 or M4 Carbine. It has a front hand grip, it looks like it has some sort of sight (maybe red dot but NOT a scope but also NOT the standard M16, M16A1 or M16A2 Sight). That AR-15 looks more like a weapon someone who is an American Mercenary or advisor would purchased to carry, as opposed to something issued to a member of the Militia.

Thus I have NO idea if this is a photo of Militiamen, or Militiamen with someone else. The middle guy appears out of place. He may still be a Militiaman who managed to get better then normal equipment (i.e captured it during the US intervention in Iraq from some Blackwater or similar group). Such a capture of equipment would explain the overall better equipment he has compared to the soldiers to his left and right.

On the other hand, he may be an American Advisor who decided it was time to participate in the fighting. My comment is just that he looks out of place.