Petraeus says Iran still training Iraq militants

[maddezmom]

Source: AFP

ZURBITIYAH, Iraq (AFP) - The commander of US forces in Iraq said on Wednesday that Iran was continuing to train militants despite Tehran's pledge to cut all support for the insurgency.

General David Petraeus said he was uncertain if supplies of weapons flowing into Iraq from Iran was decreasing, but said that Iranian training of militants posed a serious threat to Iraq's stability.

Asked whether Iran had stopped the flow of money and weapons into Iraq, Petraeus told reporters: "We honestly don't know, it is unclear. We do know that training (of Iraqi militants in Iran) has continued.

"It is at an important scale, because these are individuals with considerable skill who can train other individuals in Iraq.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080116/wl_mideast_afp/iraqunrestiranus_080116143047

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Iran no longer aids Iraq militants
By Sara A. Carter
January 3, 2008
Iran's leaders are no longer supplying weapons or training to Islamic militants in Iraq, the spokesman for the top U.S. commander in Iraq told The Washington Times.



Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, sees Iran as following through on assurances it made to Iraqi and U.S. officials last fall not to assist extremists in Iraq, spokesman Col. Steven Boylan said, adding that other U.S. officials have noted declines in Iranian weapons and funds to Iraqi insurgents.



"We are ready to confirm the excellence of the senior Iranian leadership in their pledge to stop the funding, training, equipment and resourcing of the militia special groups," Col. Boylan said. "We have seen a downward trend in the signature-type attacks using weapons provided by Iran."



In October, U.S. military officials began noticing a decrease in the supply of Iranian weapons and assistance, Col. Boylan added.

more:http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080103/NATION/498097125/1001

[earthboundmisfit]

1. What a change in less than 2 weeks - did Condi have a word with him?

During her "surprise" visit?

[leftchick]

2. so is the USA, AND we are PAYING them

:eyes:

[PATRICK]

6. This and the post below

state the much larger role of the USA in interfering and training "militants" both intentionally and unintentionally. The height of madness is an unobserved summit of truth, but you don't need binoculars, just to look up and away from the mindless propaganda. It is something that can be readily deduced from simple logic without any need to find a single Iraqi we have so trained(which evidence is not forthcoming from Petraeus' theory either). Also, since Gen. P. is a liar and a vested interest in twisting facts there is good evidence right there to take the obvious criticism more seriously than his. his is only directed to increasing tensions with Iran. Also obvious.

I long for the days when it won't be so simple to be an exemplar of analysis simply because the obvious is left lying around, discarded by the three monkey media. Too damned easy.

[mqbush]

3. Trained militants?

Since Washington is so fond of stealing our tax money from public good uses to instead buy mercenaries, why doesn't Washington make a higher bid for these trained militants to work for "us" instead of for Iraqi patriots (insurgents)?

As if anybody works for us.

[leftchick]

10. we have plenty of militants working for "us"

at $300.00 a month no less. Our tax payer dollars at work to ensure our place in Iraq FOREVER....

http://www.juancole.com/labels/Iraq.html

And, BBC "Monitoring International Reports" carries a translation from the USG Open Source Center of an interview on the situation in al-Anbar and Fallujah by Al-Arab al-Yawm, a Jordanian newspaper, with Dr. Tariq Khalaf Abdullah, head of al-Anbar Reconstruction Commission. Abdullah, from a strongly Sunni region, blames tensions between Sunnis and Shiites on the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki: "so long as there is a sectarian government in Iraq, it is highly likely that it will seek to divide the country." He blames terror attacks on nihilists and the Iranians: "There are two types of occupation now in Iraq, the American and the Iranian . . ." He doesn't actually seem to have a problem with people attacking Americans-- he refers to them as the "resistance." But he complains about those who conduct random violence against Iraqis, implying that many are backed by Iran and also by the United States!. Moreover, he blames the Iranian presence and influence on the United States: "the United States was the main reason that helped Iran come into Iraq." He is clearly eager to get the US out of the towns and cities of al-Anbar Province, and thinks their presence provokes violence. So to sum up, he dismisses the Iraqi government as "sectarian," sees Iraqi Shiites as cat's paws of Iran, wants the US out of his province, and blames the US for bringing Iran into it and well as for secretly backing death squads. And this is a Concerned Local Citizen with strong ties to the Awakening Council! Oh, yeah, the US is sitting pretty in Iraq now.


"January 15, 2008 Tuesday

IRAQI OFFICIAL DISCUSSES IMPROVED SECURITY IN AL-ANBAR, AL-FALLUJAH

Text of report by Jordanian newspaper Al-Arab al-Yawm on 14 January

[xchrom]

4. what else was he going to say? he has to justify his paycheck.

[Hugin]

5. Well then... At least -somebody- is having success training the Iraqis.

:sarcasm:

[saigon68]

18. LOL

The US has at least 100,000 Blackwater Thug mercenaries there KILLING women and children

Betrayus is a War Criminal who deserves a frog march to the Hague

[bemildred]

7. Good doggie, have a biscuit. nt

[rockybelt]

8. You could actually see

Cheney's lips move when Petreaus was speaking.

These sons-o-bitches are going to do everything in their power to start WWIII before leaving office, if they ever do leave.

I don't believe that they ever intend to leave office.

What we need is a recall of Cheney's pace-maker. NOW!

[liberal N proud]

9. Couldn't start a war over nukes, couldn't start a war over boats

So now we will try to go back to the Iraq angle.

When will they give up this notion of attacking Iraq?

[jonnyra]

11. The whole administration

lies with impunity now. They have no concerns about telling outright bald faced lies because they the know the press wont call 'em on it and they know Pelosi is covering for them. Lying, murderous criminals...thats what we have running our government here in America.

Thanks for all yer help Nancy.

[LeFleur1]

12. Training?

Maybe Patraeus should try to infiltrate and find out how Iran is successfully training Iraqis. The US hasn't been able to do it in 7 years. And..last I heard, McCain thinks we'll be there 100 years training Iraqis to "protect" their country.

[The Wizard]

13. In private industry

it's called job protection.

[creeksneakers2]

14. Frightening

Patraeus and the rest of his command have been pronouncing Iraq free of Iranian interference since October. He meets with Bush and suddenly changed his tune. That shows Iranian influence isn't really happening. Its all a lie. It all comes from George Bush.

Bush told the Saudis that he doesn't agree with the findings of the NIE, so he's still clinging to nuke scare. And then we have the hoax with the Iranian speedboats at the same time.

Bush is definitely trying to lie us into war again.

[DCKit]

15. Terra, terra, terra. Booga, booga. I'm tired of this song and dance. n/t

[Fovea]

16. Newsflash, 1961.

Soviet sources say CIA behind attempts on Cuban leader's life.

Why is it so hard to realize that our actions, and that done to us in return are not entirely asymmetrical or disassociated?

Why do we keep ignoring the possibility of blowback?

Iran/Contra, Bay of Pigs, Vietnam/Laos. In each case we were training insurgents, even terrorists.

Would it have been wrong for the Nicaragua, Soviet Union or China to have preemptively attack us at the time?

[leftchick]

17. this is ridiculous! The USA is paying Sunni Insurgents!

aka:"concerned local citizens"! Who is arming whom??

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/story/24971.html

<snip>

Odierno said Thursday that the U.S. will continue to pay roughly 175,000 "concerned local citizens" to patrol their neighborhoods $375 a month until at least the end of the year. And he said Iraqi forces likely can't control all of Iraq's 18 provinces until the end of the 2008 at the earliest

[saigon68]

19. HMMMM -----175,000 "concerned local citizens"

Sounds like vigilantes--- with a pay check

[leftchick]

20. exactly

we did this in Vietnam as well and look how swell things turned out!

:hi: