Posted on 04/10/2008 12:52:27 PM PDT by rightwingintelligentsia
April 10, 2008 -- A GAMBLE that proved too costly.
That's how analysts in Tehran describe events last month in Basra. Iran's state-run media have de facto confirmed that this was no spontaneous "uprising." Rather, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) tried to seize control of Iraq's second-largest city using local Shiite militias as a Trojan horse.
Tehran's decision to make the gamble was based on three assumptions:
* Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki wouldn't have the courage to defend Basra at the risk of burning his bridges with the Islamic Republic in Iran.
* The international force would be in no position to intervene in the Basra battle. The British, who controlled Basra until last December, had no desire to return, especially if this meant getting involved in fighting. The Americans, meanwhile, never had enough troops to finish off al-Qaeda-in-Iraq, let alone fight Iran and its local militias on a new front.
* The Shiite clerical leadership in Najaf would oppose intervention by the new Iraqi security forces in a battle that could lead to heavy Shiite casualties.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
Bump
I am, like, totally shocked!..........It was so transparent................
This part is really good:
“Only a year ago, the ISF had been unable to provide three brigades (some 9,000 men) to help the US-led “surge” restore security in Baghdad. This time, the ISF had no difficulty deploying 15 brigades (30,000 men) for the battle of Basra.
Led by Gen. Mohan al-Freiji, the Iraqi force sent to Basra was the largest that the ISF had put together since its creation five years ago. This was the first time that the ISF was in charge of a major operation from start to finish and was fighting a large, well-armed adversary without US advisers.
During the Basra battles, the ISF did call on British and US forces to provide some firepower, especially via air strikes against enemy positions. But, in another first, the ISF used its own aircraft to transport troops and materiel and relied on its own communication system.
The expected call from the Najaf ayatollahs to stop “Shiite fratricide” failed to materialize. Grand Ayatollah Ali-Muhammad Sistani, the top cleric in Iraq, gave his blessings to the Maliki-launched operation. More broadly, the Shiite uprisings in Baghdad, Karbala, Najaf and other cities that Quds commanders had counted upon didn’t happen. The “Green Zone” wasn’t evacuated in panic under a barrage of rockets and missiles.
After more than a week of fighting, the Iraqis forced the Quds commanders to call for a cease-fire through Sadr. The Iraqi commander agreed - provided that the Quds force directly guaranteed it. To highlight Iran’s role in the episode, he insisted that the Quds force dispatch a senior commander to finalize the accord.
The Iran-backed side lost more than 600 men, with more than 1,000 injured. The ISF lost 88 dead and 122 wounded.
Some analysts suggest this was the first war between new Iraq and the Islamic Republic. If so, the Iraqis won.”
I bet that will be the focus of Congressional hearings in the US congratulating Petraus and the Iranian government for their success/ NOT!
Nothing like a little bitch slap to set one straight.
It won’t be long before Iraq is back to normal: Warring with Iran just like always.
Sounds like the Iranians just had their “Tet Offensive”, though Walter Cronkite didn’t come through for them this time.
Crosslinking :
IRAQ: Ayatollah Sistani on the Mahdi Army: “the law is the only authority in the country”
WOW - this is excellent.
It is very frustrating that you won’t find this reported anywhere. This is a real positive event. I am sure our esteemed politicians in Washington appreciate this success as much as I do.
Thank you for your report. I had not read that before.
would this be akin to North Vietnam’s failed Tet offensive that the media and Dems never got right
The struggle for Iraq isn't over until Iran is over.
This particular struggle for the world isn't over until Iran is over. If Iran is allowed to continue a time will come fairly soon when this struggle will not be over until Iran is over and Pakistan is over, and Saudi Arabia and...
The longer we put it off the bigger and harder the job will be.
The 6oo Sadrists and Iranians will be added into the totals of “innocents murdered by American Occupiers.”
WTH?
I thought we and the Iraqi’s had our a$$es handed to us?
From where do you get your News?
Bush Defies Calls for Faster Withdrawal of Iraq Troops
And this is the Christian Science Monitor:
Thats why I kept telling people here to “calm the hell down” when the claims of defeat were ringing around Free Republic. I’m always amazed that my fellow FReepers will, in one breath, curse the lying media, and then hyperventilate over something that same lying media just reported as if its true.
Their focus is not on winning in Iraq,...but helping the Democrats win in Washington...in November.
This is the best article I’ve seen on this subject. Thanks for posting it.
In after the zot....couldn’ help it.
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