U.S. Congress report warns of Iran’s meddling in Iraq

London, Nov. 27 – The United States Congressional Research Service issued a report warning of Iran’s dominating influence in neighbouring Iraq.

The report, recently posted on the website of the U.S. State Department, cited Iranian support for militant groups and Shiite political parties in Iraq.

“Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, Iran has showcased its growing political and economic influence over and mentorship of the Iraqi government”, it said, adding that the “thrust of Iran’s strategy in Iraq has been to engineer and perpetuate domination of Iraq’s government by pro-Iranian Shiite Islamist movements that would, in Iran’s view, likely align Iraq’s foreign policy with that of Iran”.

It identified two groups in particular of being “Iran’s Shiite Islamist protégés in Iraq” - the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), the most pro-Iranian of the groups, and the Da’wa (Islamic Call) party, whose leader is current Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari.

According to the report, SCIRI controls a 20,000-strong militia called the Badr Brigades, recently renamed the Badr Organisation. “Badr fighters are playing unofficial policing roles in Basra and other Shiite cities. Those Badr members that have joined the national Iraqi police and military forces are widely said to retain their loyalties to Badr and SCIRI”.

This is where the only matter worth discussing lies. I don't give a hoot what the Mother Sheehans, the "Smiling Joe" Bidens, the muddled Murtha's, the manic McKinneys, or their fellow travelers say. The die is cast; I take Iran's Ahmadinejad at his demented word (just as the world should have done with Hitler). We will need bases in the Middle East (e.g. Iraq) for many years to finally deal with a nation over the edge -Iran.

This appears to be a very realistic, credible assessment of the present situation. If democracy is going to succeed in the region, clearly these islamiic regimes have to go. They simply will not coexist with neighboring democratic countries. This means many more "boots on the ground". Most likely the military draft and a much larger comittment by our allies. The Iranian islamic regime has to go as do these various islamic militias...sadr etc. No reason why sadr should be running loose andstirring up trouble for our guys. We know where he is. Kill him or hand him over to mossad for "processing". They know how to deal with these hard cases and will have him crying "uncle" in no time.

How do we pay for this? Out of middle eastern oil proceeds. What about the pants wetting knee jerk leftists and parlor pinks that say we're only in it for the oil? It must be sold on the basis that islam has chosen to pose an international threat to the civilized world...much the same as Adolph Hitler...which must be crushed ASAP. It is only fair that the cost of solving this problem be offset using revenue from the sale of oil resources of the region rather than bankrupting one or more of the coalition partners.

Clearly we need leadership inside the beltway with a bigger set of cajones to sell this to coalition partners and lead the campaign.

However, with overwhelming force on the ground, these islamic rats will be scurrying down their holes the same as saddam did. I would urge the re-introduction of the flamethrower which which for some unexplained reason seems to have fallen into disuse.

Pro-Iran Shia group ahead in Iraq polls, 02/11/05

Baghdad Mayor Is Ousted by a Shiite Group and Replaced, 08/09/05

Armed men entered Baghdad's municipal building during a blinding dust storm on Monday, deposed the city's mayor and installed a member of Iraq's most powerful Shiite militia. The deposed mayor, Alaa al-Tamimi, who was not in his offices at the time, recounted the events in a telephone interview on Tuesday and called the move a municipal coup d'état. He added that he had gone into hiding for fear of his life.

Iraq Accuses Iranian Embassy of Killing Agents (18 intel.agents killed since mid-Sept; 8 by Zarqawi), October 14, 2005

52 dead in mosque attacks in Iraq- US warns Iraq keep Shi'ite militias out of security services, 11/18/05

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