Groups With Iran’s Backing Blamed for Baghdad Attacks

[Nitrogenica]

Source: New York Times

By STEPHEN FARRELL and ALISSA J. RUBIN
Published: April 24, 2008


BAGHDAD — Nearly three-quarters of the attacks that kill or wound American soldiers in Baghdad are carried out by Iranian-backed Shiite groups, the United States military said Wednesday.

Senior officers in the American division that secures the capital said that 73 percent of fatal and other harmful attacks on American troops in the past year were caused by roadside bombs planted by so-called “special groups.”

The American military uses that term to describe groups trained by Iran that fight alongside the Mahdi Army but do not obey the orders of the militia’s figurehead, the cleric Moktada al-Sadr, to observe a cease-fire. But Col. Allen Batschelet, the Baghdad division’s chief of staff, conceded that there was overlap between the groups.

“These two groups are so amorphous; they go back and forth between one another,” the colonel said at a briefing in Baghdad.



Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/24/world/middleeast/24iraq.html?_r=1&ex=1366689600&en=926d774318dab699&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin

[madeline_con]

1. Of course. The drums of war never skip a beat.

[darue]

2. I don't believe a word of it. I don't think anyone is training in Iran

I've not seen one piece of real evidence that would make me think they are "training" how much training does it take anyway, not much.

[thunder rising]

3. In other words it's the entire Shia population? Where's Al-Qaida? Defeated until next week?

[asjr]

6. Just wait until they capture No. 2 again.

[guyanakoolaid]

4. What is "backed"? - 2 questions

Does it mean Iran simply supports neighbors fighting imperialist invaders? Or that they have given them training and equipment? This begs a couple of serious questions:

Why is the US military allowing these cross-border incursions? If they truly are delivering most of the punishment, why haven't we heard about any kind of containment? I'll tell you why and answer my own question: Because they never existed in the first place.

If Iran is helping Iraqi insurgents, why are insurgents increasingly left with no weapons other than IEDs? Wouldn't they be firing shoulder-launched missiles at us if Iran was supplying them?

[alstephenson]

5. Another fairytale....

Is this country stupid enough to believe this shit? Uh oh, I think I already know the answer to that question....

[Arctic Dave]

7. How do you know they were Iranian?

They were brown with a rag on their heads. Duh!

[thunder rising]

9. I'm Iraqi (water) I'm Italian (water) I'm Syrian (save to next week, water) I'm Jewish (water)

I'm Iranian BINGO!!!

[whathappened]

8. training who

how in the world can they train the iraqs and we havent been able to train them for what 5 years

[saigon68]

11. LOL

They couldn't train them to pour piss out of a boot

[badgervan]

10. "Senior Officers" Said, Huh?

How about some solid proof of your inflammatory statements for us sheep, "senior officers"? Even one little piece of solid evidence/proof would be most appreciated.

[High Plains]

12. "Groups With Washington's Backing Blamed for Iraq Attacks"

...like the US military.

[LynnTheDem]

13. LOL!

The rightwingnuttery just refuses to give up catapulting their bullshit propaganda. Gotta give them credit for tenacity, I spose.

:rofl: