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Iraqi intel chief: Iran sponsoring al-Qaeda in Iraq

posted at 8:16 am on March 6, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The head of Iraqi intelligence, Muhamad Abdullah Al-Shahwani, accused Iran of sponsoring al-Qaeda in Iraq, specifically to attack Awakening organizations in western Iraq. He also alleged that the Iranians had paid to distribute a videotape made by rogue Shi’ite militias showing one of five British hostages held somewhere in southern Iraq. The accusations came at the same time that Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad toured Iraq (via TMV):

The head of the Iraqi Intelligence Service, Muhamad Abdullah Al-Shahwani, yesterday criticized the Iranian intelligence services for seeking to, “abort the experiment with the Awakening Councils,” which are battling elements of al-Qaeda in Iraq. For his part, an advisor to the Awakening Councils, Tamir Al-Tamimi, told Azzaman,” the Awakening Councils have been targeted by the Iranians, either directly or indirectly, through terrorist organizations that cooperate with Iran, such as al-Qaeda.

He explained that these targetings often consist of attacks with explosive devices, suicide bombers or car bombs. Replying to a question about the government’s relationship to the [Shiite] militias, Al-Tamimi said: “There is no contact or coordination with them,” but he stressed that, “the Awakening Councils are always exposed to misbehavior from the militias, as has frequently occurred in neighborhoods of Baghdad such as Abu Ghraib, Al-Taji, Al-Basam, and the neighborhoods of Al-Amil, Al-Azmia, Al-Fadal, and others.” And he said, “We have always opposed and responded to such misbehavior.”

The Iraqi newspaper Azzaman reports that over 80,000 Iraqis have now joined the Awakening Councils. This has the Iranians worried enough to fund terrorists to undermine them. They want to stop the Sunnis from playing any role in the new Iraq, no doubt motivated by the animosity between Tehran and the Sunni regime of Saddam Hussein. They want to see radical Shi’ites take over Iraq and have Baghdad come under the thumb of the Iranian mullahcracy.

Nor is their mischief limited to the south. Iraqi intelligence says that Iranians funded the videotape released recently that depicts Peter Moore, a British hostage abducted in May 2007 from Baghdad. Moore worked for an American firm and was kidnapped outside of the Ministry of Finance, along with four other Britons held by unknown militia members. Iraqi intel says that the group that claimed responsibility doesn’t exist as anything more than a front for Iranian proxies in the south. The tape came as a response to the arrest of 14 Iranian Revolutionary Guard members south of Baghdad, caught with maps and plans to build IEDS.

Al-Shahwani himself is a Sunni, but one opposed to Saddam’s reign. Until 1990, he served in Saddam’s military, but defected and worked with the US to overthrow Saddam since the Gulf War. He tried to coordinate a coup in 1996, and lost his three sons in the attempt. He has no reason to love Baathists, so his sectarian sympathies are likely to be low. His warnings should be heeded. Iran continues to interfere in Iraq on a large scale, and now it appears they have allied themselves with al-Qaeda as a last-ditch attempt to succeed in destroying its increasing stability.

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Comments

what a shock!!!!how can this be???!!! *GASP*

jimbo2008 on March 6, 2008 at 8:33 AM

“… reports that over 80,000 Iraqis have now joined the Awakening Councils … has the Iranians worried enough to fund terrorists …”

Since when do they need an excuse? The sky is blue! FUND THE TERRORISTS!

Tony737 on March 6, 2008 at 8:35 AM

I guess this is about the fourth or fifth time I have said this: it is time to make iran glow in the dark for 1 million years

jimbo2008 on March 6, 2008 at 8:35 AM

Iran has a long border with Iraq, and potent influence among the Shi’ites. The only way we’re going to keep Iran from poisoning the Iraqi stew is to effect ‘regime change’ in Iran. This would also have the salutory result of cutting the legs from under Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria, and other nefarious troublemakers throughout the region, and putting a halt to Iran’s nuclear-weapons development. Iran is the Mordor of the Middle East, and the mullahs hold the Ring, which must be cut from their hands.

How to go about regime change in Iran? If the Bush administration is letting the doves in the State Dept. and the CIA prevent us from active support of anti-mullah, pro-democratic, pro-Western elements in Iran, the administration is seriously derelict in its duty. We should be working as hard to overthrow the mullahs as we did to undermine the Soviet Union.

MrLynn on March 6, 2008 at 8:41 AM

We captured a Senior member of the Iranian Guard yesterday too. No Nukes. Halflife renders the area uninhabitable.

Saturate the political offices and military installations with deep penetrators. Followed up 20 minutes later with conventional 500 to 1000 pounders.

dogsoldier on March 6, 2008 at 8:42 AM

I guess this is about the fourth or fifth time I have said this: it is time to make iran glow in the dark for 1 million years

jimbo2008 on March 6, 2008 at 8:35 AM

Iranians are nice, and they have lots of oil, and Persian girls tend to be hot. Maybe there is a better solution.

tlynch001 on March 6, 2008 at 8:44 AM

Broadcast Hellary’s cackle 24/7 thru all Iranian radio and TV stations.

Akzed on March 6, 2008 at 8:48 AM

Iranians are nice, and they have lots of oil, and Persian girls tend to be hot. Maybe there is a better solution.

tlynch001 on March 6, 2008 at 8:44 AM

I used to date a Persian girl not long after the Shah’s exile. You’re right, she was HOT!
But we can make their country glow w/o killing all of them and their oil will still be useable.

jimbo2008 on March 6, 2008 at 8:51 AM

Well, Hello Dr.Strange love,and if Iran keeps it up
how they will learn to love the bomb,if they keep
medeling in Irag killing American’s!

canopfor on March 6, 2008 at 8:53 AM

Where is the Iranian counter revolution?

I fear that the regime in Iran has enough iron grip on the people to make that possibility a pipe dream.

Saltysam on March 6, 2008 at 9:01 AM

interesting point in the original news source…
“Tension between the Americans and Iranians has escalated since the Iranian side rejected a meeting on Iraq’s security with the Americans”….

How can this be??? we are repeatedly told, via the American mainstream media and clueless populist candidates, that IF ONLY the big bad bully USA would just MEET and TALK and NEGOTIATE with Iran, Syria, Cuba, Chavez, et al. that the world soon would be safe and calm and peaceful. (Of course, they also conveniently forget that Iran has also told the nice genteel European and UN diplomats and inspectors to bugger off.)

it is hard, I think, for humanists to accept in their hearts that, in fact, there are truly evil motives behind some regimes. Resolutions and negotiations and really really stern warnings will only go so far, as the world saw with Saddam.

as to the Captain’s news here…. Presumably, the Iranian attempts at undermining and destabilizing Iraq will continue, throughout the US Presidential campaign, in hopes of generating American anger and weariness, and thereby electing a retreatist Democrat.

Deb on March 6, 2008 at 9:02 AM

Future quote from Hussein Obama: “There is no al-Qaeda in Iran…”

madmonkphotog on March 6, 2008 at 9:14 AM

Ahmadinejad = pesky litle gnat
US Military = fly-swatter the size of Texas

Next time Ahmie lands in Iraq, or Columbia University for that matter, we need to give him a demo on what happens to a bug when it hits the windshield of a car going 70 mph.

The Iranians would celebrate that event and more like it, if it included taking out the troublesome mullahs who have a stranglehold on the Iranian people.

Cut off the head of the snake(s).

fogw on March 6, 2008 at 9:19 AM

Say it isn’t so! Isn’t that amazing - Iran supporting terrorists?

TooTall on March 6, 2008 at 10:29 AM

Hurry up and turn their military capability to scrap please.

THE CHOSEN ONE on March 6, 2008 at 10:32 AM

How many of our commanders in Iraq have stated in no uncertain terms that they’ve evidence Iran - whether it be through the Basij, RG, Badr, Hezbullah, etc., etc. - is supplying funding, training, material support and personnel to Iraq insurgent forces? Statements which make clear that Iran is engaging in War against the US?

And what, pray tell, has been the Admin’s, States, the DoD’s or Bush’s response to these admissions and/or evidence?

If various spokespersons say anything, it has been they don’t know if the leadership in Iran, ie., Khamenei, the Guardian Council or Ahamdi ‘the still living terrorist’ Nejad are approving or have a hand in these activities.

Complete nonsense, maybe half-truth, but close to bordering on an out-right lie.

As Khamenei & Ahmadinejad have stated on any number of occasions, the US can(or will) do nothing. They are correct, we will do nothing.

At the end of the month we’ll be half-way through the Fiscal Year 08′ and Defense is robbing-Peter-to-Pay-Paul for the supplemental funding for our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. …and there isn’t a hint of discussion for the Appropriation’s required for 09′ - no matter who occupies the Oval Office.

We’re only getting a taste of what will come in 09′ - even if by some miracle McCain should happen to win. Come 09′, as weak as Bush looks at present, he’s going to look like the veritable strong-man to what’s in the pike.

Regime change Iran, War with Iran? …fat chance.

Or maybe that should be, ‘no chance.’

Earlg on March 6, 2008 at 12:01 PM

Don’t tell Barack!

profitsbeard on March 6, 2008 at 12:21 PM

Water is wet,too.

We have Iran responsible for our military getting killed in Iraq and yet, we do nothing. This to me is worse than the border fence or any other ongoing cluster bang.

Iran should be at the top of daily sorte schedules along with other “terrorists”.

Hening on March 6, 2008 at 12:46 PM

Duh!

Johan Klaus on March 6, 2008 at 12:47 PM

Iranians are nice, and they have lots of oil, and Persian girls tend to be hot. Maybe there is a better solution.

tlynch001 on March 6, 2008 at 8:44 AM

I’ll tell you now so later I can say I told ya so: IF WE DON’T NUKE THEM NOW WE WILL BE VERY, VERY SORRY LATER. IT WILL BE TOO LATE AFTER A U.S. CITY GOES UP IN THE MUSHROOM CLOUD.
I’m telling you all right now, Iran has gotten away with WAY TOO MUCH TERRORISM and NOTHING else will teach them the lesson they desperately need to learn.
I promise you that if we DO NOT NUKE THEM NOW - all of you will be saying later, “yeah, ole jimbo got it right, I wished we had taken it all more serious.”

jimbo2008 on March 6, 2008 at 1:38 PM