U.S. general in Iraq warns Iran on bomb smuggling

Reuters ^ | 07 May 2006 | Reuters

[Flavius]

FORT TARIK, Iraq, May 7 (Reuters) - A senior U.S. general flew to Iraq's vast desert frontier with Iran on Sunday and vowed to stop what he said was the smuggling of bomb materials from Iran that is wreaking havoc among American troops.

Landing by helicopter under the gun sights of Iranian border guards perched on a watchtower across the frontier, Lieutenant General Peter Chiarelli, the No. 2 U.S. general in Iraq, said U.S. and Iraqi forces securing the border will do "all we can" to stop roadside bombs.

Known as improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, the home-made bombs are the largest cause of U.S. casualties in Iraq, where more than 2,400 American troops have been killed since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Washington and London say there is evidence components of sophisticated IEDs behind attacks on British forces in southern Iraq were produced in Iran, a charge denied by Tehran.

"We will do all we can to stop IEDs from coming into Iraq," Chiarelli told reporters in the border post of Fort Tarik, a spartan building surrounded by wastes of sun-drenched desert, once trodden by the caravans of the ancient Silk Route.

"We are very concerned about this border because of IEDs. The capabilities of the IEDs we are facing today are much more than what I saw in March 2004. We feel an urgency to stop components of IEDs that are coming from the borders."

Seeking to combat foreign fighters joining the anti-U.S. struggle in Iraq and the smuggling of weapons, the U.S. military has built and equipped 258 border forts around Iraq's porous borders with Iran, Syria, Turkey, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Trained by U.S. and other foreign troops, there are more than 20,000 members of the Iraqi National Border Forces.

The United States says the overwhelming majority of foreign fighters are coming across the Syrian border.

TENSION WITH IRAN

Chiarelli said a dispute between Western powers and Iran over Tehran's nuclear ambitions has prompted U.S. and Iraqi forces to be more vigilant along the Iranian border.

U.S. Major Vic Lindemeyer, a border patrol adviser, said smugglers were using the area to transport explosive projectiles and AK-47s into Iraq.

"Rising tension with Iran has cautioned us to be concerned about illegal weapons and equipment in all borders," Chiarelli said, adding U.S. border agents who patrol the U.S.-Mexican border have been sent to Iraq to train the Iraqis.

The Iraqis at Fort Tarik said they had intercepted 1,972 illegals trying to cross from Iran, mostly Iranian pilgrims heading for the holy Shi'ite cities of Najaf and Kerbala.

The 60 Iraqis posted at Fort Tarik, where temperatures climb well above 50 degrees Celsius during the long Iraqi summer, share the building with a contingent of Ukrainian and Polish soldiers, who sweat profusely in their combat uniforms.

Chiarelli and his military entourage were treated to a Bedouin-style lunch of mounds of rice with pieces of sheep, which is eaten with the fingers and standing up.

In one of the turrets of the fort, an Iraqi border policeman fixed his binoculars on a watchtower just across the border manned by Iranian border guards.

He said the Iranians on the tower are normally quiet but today seemed nervous with the arrival of Chiarelli and the media in half a dozen Black Hawk helicopters.

"My job is too keep an eye on the border and defend my country," he said.

[Flavius]

Polish soldiers conduct patrol aboard armoured vehicles at the Iraq-Iran border May 7, 2006. Senior U.S. general, flying to Iraq's vast desert frontier with Iran in helicopter convoy that lands under the gunsights of Iranian border guards, says smuggling of bomb materials from Iran that is wreaking havoc among U.S. troops must stop. REUTERS/FALEH KHEIBER

[BenLurkin]

bttt

[Semper Paratus]

Should start smuggling bombs INTO Iran.

[Supernatural]

We have the names.

Time to start kicking butt.

[GSlob]

Good idea. There is/was that group, mudjaheedin-el-khalk [?} or something like that - maybe if they carbomb an ayatolla or two, the message would get the necessary attention.

[joesnuffy]

No more shuck n jaw ..time for shock n awe

[Marine_Uncle]

"Should start smuggling bombs INTO Iran."
Gotta wait until the MOP are fully developed and capable of 100^' plus penetration into solid ground/rock/re-inforced concrete.

[Space Cruiser]

I think we should put them on 24 hour notice and when they don't comply begin a nuke mission and flatten pakistan, iran, syria, n.korea, yemen, then ask if anyone else wants a piece. I can't take seeing our soldiers being put out as bait. What's happened to our resolve? I have a niece and nephew in Iraq. These guys have been volunteering since 9-11 and the commanders are ordered to use them as bait. The only thing the enemy understands is force. We know the muzzies have nukes and will use them on us. How do contain that????????????????? C'mon George, put on your game face.

[onedoug]

How about blasting Iran? We're in a war.

[Quix]

If they succeed in guarding Iraq's border with Iran better than our border with Mexico . . .

then . . .

someone(s) . . .

well . . .

at least the puppet masters and their stooges will have earned an exceedingly severe slap-down from God Almighty. I don't think even the citizens of the USA would be able to administer the punishement they have earned by such duplicity.

[Marine_Uncle]

Firstly thank your niece and nephew for serving our country. They are amoung our best.
Though I truely hold similiar feelings, having had a nephew in two tours to the pit and a first cousin's son on his second tour.
We can't just nuke em all. Let me put it this way. In your mind you understand we do not have enough nukes to do what so many would want. And America champions freedom and democracy for all. We can't go around nuking hundreds of millions of people. Half or more of Iran would like nothing better then to see the 50 mullahs and their puppet president put on trial for crimes against humanity.
And if you point the finger at said countries then a lot of others would also have to be included. Say Saudi Arabia, Arab Emirets, Kuwait, hundreds of cities throughout Indonesia, the Phillipeans etc..
Once Iraq cools down and the newly formed government follow through full time in what was hoped to happen earlier on, a lot will change in the ME. Many of these peoples are watching very closely as how Iraq is raising to the occasion at this point.
All Arab and non-Arab muslim nations have been put on notice. And many are making an effort to reform their ways.
It is not fair to take isolated continued incidence of terrorist groups pulling off some stunts, and not think some of these countries are not doing their best to rid their countries of the scum. The Jordanians, Egyptians, Saudis just to name three are very actively supporting the WOT. They realize they must rid their countries of the cancers that they in the past allowed for many reasons to go untouched. Times are changing. IHMO it is not the time to be nuking but to be building more concrete bridges with these countries. Let them do the dirty work in killing off radical Islamos. It is long over due. If we did not go into Iraq, it would be business as usual. And we know just how much many of these terrorist groups had big plans on further attacking US interest abroad as well as on our soil. Now we have a lot of muslim countries working with us to find and kill them before they harm anyone, muslim and infidels alike.

[Cautor]

We're in a war in Iraq and we're being attacked by Syria and Iran and all we do is threaten. We didn't win WW II by playing games with the enemy. We lost Vietnam in part because of silly ROEs. If the threat is across the border, go get it.

[Flavius]

i just feel bad for the troops

politicians that are controlling troops should have their offices in humvees that travel and patrol empty streets

see if they roe would change somewhat

jmo

[HardStarboard]

>>>Senior U.S. general, flying to Iraq's vast desert frontier with Iran in helicopter convoy that lands under the gunsights of Iranian border guards, says smuggling of bomb materials from Iran that is wreaking havoc among U.S. troops must stop.<<<

Telling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to "stop" has proven a bit unproductive. Ask the UN.

What you do, General, is kill anyone stepping across the border with weapons and munitions - Iraqi or Iranian.....and sort out the facts later.

Why the hell this wasn't done in 2003 when it started is beyond me!

[strategofr]

"Telling Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to "stop" has proven a bit unproductive. Ask the UN.

What you do, General, is kill anyone stepping across the border with weapons and munitions - Iraqi or Iranian.....and sort out the facts later. "

This is the way I responded as well. Firstly, we never set up secure borders between Iraq and Iran, which should've been a top priority, in my opinion.

Now, under "sovereignty" we handed the border over to the Iraqis. When we were setting up the border posts, we asked the Iraqis if they wanted high tech equipment installed in each border post to help detect incursions. According to what I read, they said, "No".

Supposedly, the reason is that Iraqis maintaining border posts have traditionally made a substantial income from taking bribes to allow contraband to pass through the border. If there was a lot of high-tech equipment detecting incursions, as the article I read went, this would embarrass Iraqis making money letting contraband through.

So, wink, wink, nod ,nod we built the new border posts without the high tech equipment. As a result, both American soldiers and Iraqi citizens die from IEDs.

To extend this interpretation to the current story, the whole thing is a little embarrassing from an American point of view, particularly the part about allowing our own soldiers to be killed. So we respond with a little Hollywood-style posturing.

Not only does this look ineffective, is a bad indication for where the US military is at this time in Iraq (though admittedly, one small piece of the overall picture.)

[NutCrackerBoy]

Once Iraq cools down and the newly formed government follow through full time in what was hoped to happen earlier on, a lot will change in the ME. Many of these peoples are watching very closely as how Iraq is rising to the occasion at this point. All Arab and non-Arab muslim nations have been put on notice. And many are making an effort to reform their ways.

Sometimes it seems like noone on either side in the U.S. has ever dreamt or heard of the possibility that things will change when Iraq gets going. They will change.

[Herakles]

" C'mon George, put on your game face."

I have to say, that the way congress and the president are acting, they are so out of touch they seem to have exceeded boundaries of the Twilight Zone.

Gingrich even said the other night that this is the biggest disconnect between the people and government he has seen, and I think he was being reserved in his comments.

[Marine_Uncle]

We see so many positive signs in Iraq and some of the ME countries. It is indicative they are already changing. Changing for the better. So many can say a lot of negative stuff about the Saudi for instance. We know how their mental set has been for a long time. But to think many in the royal family support terrorism is a mistake. Hell they want the scum bags popping up daisies not blowing up their oil refineries.

[SaxxonWoods]

You post sense as usual, but it's so difficult to watch the kids take the hits while we play pattycake with these b***ards. I want us to be more aggressive, but I'll stay in total support, and pray for the kids.

[HardStarboard]

Strategofr....thanks for the sad tale of our handling of the Iranian border with Iraq.

Its worse than I thought....we clearly have made some dunderheaded decisions that are working against getting a handle on Syrian and Iranian smuggling and treachery.

The tough question to answer - is who is preventing the US Forces from solving the problem. Obviously we know what the problem is.....but it doesn't appear there is a will to solve it - an it may be the key problem holding back stability in Iraq.

[Cautor]

I'd like to send most pols in Congress on a drive from Baghdad AP to downtown, and in a convertible.

[strategofr]

"The tough question to answer - is who is preventing the US Forces from solving the problem. Obviously we know what the problem is.....but it doesn't appear there is a will to solve it - an it may be the key problem holding back stability in Iraq."

Well, I can't say that I truly know the answer. In part, I would attribute it to this. Our State Department, in my opinion, primarily serves enemies of the United States rather than the United States. Our CIA, while not as bad as State, has been severely compromised for decades.

To Bush's credit, he brought in a person, Porter Goss, to clean out the CIA. Goss has been working at it for 20 months and seems to have had some success, before his recent resignation. However, the CIA has clearly been in disarray during this process.

As a result of Rumsfeld's justified lack of confidence in State and the CIA, it seems to me that our military has to a significant extent tried to carry on these functions by themselves, as it applies to their own situation in Iraq. Needless to say, this does not work very well.

[VastRWCon]

right you are. I am sick and tired of the metrosexual girliemen trying to run our wars... We have the power, the weapons, the tech, we could end many conflicks in hours if we would just use our power and STOP playing games...

[Marine_Uncle]

"...I want us to be more aggressive, but I'll stay in total support, and pray for the kids."
I know. Every time I hear one of our guys get KIA it is hard to take. It stabs at the gut, heart, and mind. So many of us have not only a deep respect for what they do but a love in our hearts for them. Their like all our kids. And not so young kids.
And so many a badly wounded, loosing arms, legs, hands, eyes, badly burned. I have had the terrible displeasure of having to consul some parents at a Marine Parent web Site I used to frequent on a regular basis, after their sons where either KIAed oor now trying to recover from grave wounds.
Two years back as I welcomed my nephew home from his first tour I stood at 2/2 HQ Camp Lejuene and silently read the names of five Marines that did not come home. One was a sargeant who with my nephew ran their guts out to try to make it to cover during a mortar attacked at camp MEK (Fallujah) in 2004.
The good Lord spared my nephew. The sargeant was taken to HIS abode. Blown into bits by a direct hit as he just made it to a HUMVEE to seek temparory shelter.
I know. It breaks our hearts. It also breaks my heart to hear about all the coalition troops and now the brave Iraqi soldiers fighting along side our guys to take back their country.
But in order for us not to play patty cake with these bastards, we would have to do a huge amount of damage to the civilian population.
Surely at this juncture in time, we are so close to success.
We must IMHO, remember, the goal has been to do as little damage to the population, rebuild their infrastructure and show arabs Americans are not bastards, not the evil ones, but in fact are soldiers with compassion, that go out of their way to help the oppressed, free those they hardly know, from those that would oppress.
We at Free Republic have witnessed literally thousands of articles from various sources that show many Iraqi now like Americans. They know we do them no harm. Their so close to forming a newly government. The government has to this time around represent all Iraqi. All we have done to build their army and police as you well can see is now bearing fruit.
What can we actually do to reduce the number of KIA and WIA American soldiers and Marines at this point. They with the improved HUMIT and cooperation with the Iraqi army and police are killing and capturing as many goons as they can with a high degree of effeciency.
I don't have the answer, not that you are asking me. It just seems to me that our guys and the Iraqi are doing all they can do to erradicate the remaining jihadist as well as the Saddamist and the few sunni based religious groups that may still be supporting the insurgency at various levels.
There is no town or city in Iraq today that one could justify just going in and unloading huge amounts of bombs on. All the resistive provinces are now looking to the new Iraqi Government and army/police to kill off the remaining jihadist and Saddamist.
How can we further accelerate the pace of removing those that continue to resist? I for one do not have the answer. Surely if our ground commanders knew a better method, they would attempt it. The goverment will be fully operational very soon. Perhaps they will give more latitude in how our and the Iraqi troops can fight. Will it come down to dumping a lot of heavy ordnance into populated areas in some of the big cities such as ar Ramada or Sammara or Baghdad?
Will the Iraqi citizentry believe this is the way to kill off the remaining jihadist and Saddamist?
I don't place the burden on you to answer. At least if we soon see the order for all militias to disband or face very serious consequences, we shall see further success in removing a lot of arms from the Iraqi. Then we will only be dealing with the remaining al Qaeda and Saddamist for the most part. The government will make it clear that the Iranians must see to it that their goons withdraw from the south and eastern sectors. At least I hope they are going to get tough on that issue. Beefed up eastern border patrols may keep the Iranians from entering the country with shaped charges. Continued good HUMIT will end the lives of more jihadist and Saddamist and other resitors. I don't see much of what else would really be effective in reducing our loses.

[SaxxonWoods]

"Beefed up eastern border patrols may keep the Iranians from entering the country with shaped charges."

That's an idea I'm behind.

A snappy salute to you on the rest of your post. Let's carry on.

[Space Cruiser]

The Saudi's do fund terror, al-qaeda, palestinians. Like the 18 hijackers on 9-11. Whabbaism is the bedrock of their society. Many of the royal saudi's do sponsor terrorism.

[Marine_Uncle]

"The Saudi's do fund terror, al-qaeda, palestinians. Like the 18 hijackers on 9-11. Whabbaism is the bedrock of their society. Many of the royal saudi's do sponsor terrorism."
I know they did. Do they still is the issue. And are they not cracking down on what the government sponsored schools can now teach in regards to many of the extreme Islamic teachings.
And have the many news reports we had read of their police force going after known radical groups in country.
I do agree that Wahabist, Salafist, etc., do continue to poison their society. But we also have to understand these splinter groups do not represent the main Sunni sect. They are political ideologies that took root based on Sunni interpretations of the Quran.
Not all Saudi adhere to the radical groups. It is not fair to call them sects, because no knowledgable work on Islam do so. But I do understand their origins, intents etc..
One thing is for certain. The royal family no longer can afford to sponsor any terrorist. The royal family now have to worry about people like Zarqawi encouraging radicals to blow up the Saudi infrastructure. The royal family is quite aware of the underlining desire the radicals have of installing a Caliph state in a number of ME countries. And that state would not include the royal family, I assure you.