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Posted on 11/15/2007 3:31:45 PM PST by SandRat
WASHINGTON, Nov. 15, 2007 – Recent weapons cache finds in Iraq indicate that the Iranian government is living up to its promise to Iraqi leaders to stem the flow of weapons across the border into Iraq, a senior U.S. general in Baghdad told reporters today.
Army Maj. Gen. James E. Simmons, Multinational Corps Iraq’s deputy commander for support, said coalition troops and Iraqi security forces continue to find Iranian weapons in caches they uncover.
“But most of these weapons appear to have been in Iraq for months,” he said. “So we have not seen any recent evidence that weapons continue to come across the border into Iraq. We believe that the initiatives and the commitments that the Iranians have made appear to be holding up.”
Simmons credited the new Multinational Corps Iraq Law Enforcement Forensics Laboratory with providing scientific analysis that’s able to determine how long weapons caches have been in place. “For most of the caches we have found, we have been able to determine that those weapons systems have been there for months,” he said.
Pressed by reporters, Simmons insisted there’s been no sign that Iran is continuing to send weapons into Iraq. “If we found evidence that a weapon system had just come across the border from Iran, we would be standing here telling you that,” he said. “But right now, I have not had any evidence laid in front of me that says that they have violated the commitment they have made.”
Officials in Tehran reportedly assured Iraqi government leaders they would work to stop the flow of bomb-making materials and other weapons into Iraq.
“It is my understanding that they have provided such assurances,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told reporters during a Nov. 1 Pentagon news conference.
Gates said he had no solid proof that Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, was aware that parts for explosively formed penetrators, the most deadly form of roadside bomb, had been flowing from Iran into Iraq. “I haven’t seen anything definitive along those lines,” Gates said. “My guess is that the highest levels are aware.”
Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreed there’s no proof that Iranian leaders were aware of the shipments. “Although I don’t know how they couldn’t be,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Multinational Corps Iraq commander reported earlier this month that the number of explosively formed penetrators being found in Iraq is down. Army Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said during a Nov. 1 videoconference from Baghdad that coalition forces encountered 53 EFPs in October, 52 in September, 78 in August, and 99 in July.
Like Gates and Mullen, Odierno said he was adopting a wait-and-see approach before attributing the trend to any downshift in Iran’s activities. “It’s unclear yet to me whether they have slowed down brining in weapons and supporting the insurgency or not,” he said. “I’ll still wait and see.”
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“Navy Adm. Michael G. Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, agreed there’s no proof that Iranian leaders were aware of the shipments. “Although I don’t know how they couldn’t be,” he said.”
This is a subject that was being hotly debated in the admin, with State and CIA arguing that Iran is not arming Iraqis and intense opposition from that view from American generals on the ground in Iraq, with the White House not convinced that State and CIA are right. Apparently, and most likely disastrously (down the road), the DOD has been told to bring itself into line with State, and publicly degrade the facts on the ground; given we are talking about Gates and the Admirals now heading the joint chiefs and CENTCOM it probably did not take a lot of arm twisting. This is not the good news it appears to be.
These maniacs are very patient. They will sit back and wait until we start withdrawing and the attacks will start again. Both Iran and Syria are evil to the core, it won’t end until we do something with both of them. (Just me playing armchair General.)
Indeed - if the story is accurate, as read - it means that Iran has the power to stop attacks in Iraq. That means that they also have the power to increase them, whenever they judge it strategic to do so.
You are correct. Iran is just baiting us to leave now that things are "settling down". They will flare Iraq up violently after we are totally withdrawn.
We need to deal with Iran BEFORE we leave Iraq.
“Indeed - if the story is accurate, as read - it means that Iran has the power to stop attacks in Iraq. That means that they also have the power to increase them, whenever they judge it strategic to do so.”
Sorry, in my view it is not good news, because, in my view, it (the findings from the joint chiefs) is a politically derived statement designed to support foggy bottom’s political and diplomatic agenda and does not reflect the best evidence on the ground. If I am right, I expect Patreaus to put his job on the line soon, because I cannot see him sacrificing his honor and success on false intelligence and strategic political mandates from foggy bottom - whether or not his superiors agreed to it.
Sounds like they are having a tough time getting these weapons across the border. Dead AQ are undependable.
Pray for W and Our Victorious Troops
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