Target Centermass

Day: January 7, 2005

  • Pentagon Orders Iraq Troop Review

    Old soldiers never die, they just get called back to review operations in Iraq.

    The Pentagon has confirmed that retired Gen Gary Luck has been asked to review overall operations in Iraq.

    The news comes as a senior official revealed that the US army is likely to ask for a permanent increase of 30,000 in its strength [blogged here yesterday].

    US defence officials have sought to play this down as just part of an ongoing review process.

    But Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has asked the general to look at the training of the Iraqi security forces.

    That is critical, because handing over security to the Iraqis is key to the Pentagon’s exit strategy – and this new review does seem to reflect the concern about how the security strategy is unfolding.

    US military commanders acknowledge that the performance of the Iraqis is mixed, and far from being able to cut US troop numbers as it had hoped, the Pentagon now has more personnel in Iraq than ever – more than 150,000.

    To argue that operations in Iraq and the training of Iraqi security forces should not be reviewed for possible improvements would be silly. I wish Gen. Luck … well … good luck on his mission.

  • Insurgent Admits Iran, Syria Links on Tape

    A captured Iraqi insurgent has confessed to contacts with neighboring Iran and Syria, two countries that have denied undermining the Iraqi government but have much to fear from success in the fledgling democracy.

    An Iraqi militant suspected of involvement in beheadings and other bloody attacks told Iraqi authorities that his group has links with Iran and Syria, according to a tape aired Friday by an Arabic TV station funded by the U.S. government.

    Moayad Ahmed Yasseen, leader of Jaish Muhammad, which is Arabic for Muhammad’s Army, was captured nearly two months ago in Fallujah, the former guerrilla stronghold west of Baghdad.

    Alhurra television, which has its headquarters in Washington, said the tape of his purported confession was made Dec. 24 and provided to the station by Iraq’s Ministry of Defense.

    Iraqi and U.S. officials, including President Bush, have accused Syria and Iran of meddling in Iraq’s affairs and aiding insurgents, a charge both nations vehmently deny. Interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi said last week that Iraq’s patience was running out with countries that support the insurgency.

    Iran?

    On the tape, Yasseen, a colonel in Saddam Hussein’s army, said two other former Iraqi military officers belonging to his group were sent “to Iran in April or May, where they met a number of Iranian intelligence officials.” He said they also met with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

    He said Iranian officials provided money, weapons “and, as far as I know, even car bombs” for Jaish Muhammad.

    Check on contact and collusion.

    Syria?

    Yasseen also said he got permission from Saddam — while the former dictator was in hiding after his ouster by the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 — to cross into Syria and meet with a Syrian intelligence officer to ask for money and weapons. He didn’t say if the request was met.

    Check on contact, unknown on collusion.

    And what of Yasseen’s portion of the “patriots” lauded by some on the Left?

    The U.S. military has said Jaish Muhammad appears to be an umbrella group for former Iraqi intelligence agents, army officers, security officials and members of Saddam’s Baath Party.

    The group is known to have cooperated with Jordanian terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as well as other Saddam loyalists and al-Qaida supporters. Allawi has accused Jaish Muhammad of killing and beheading a number of Iraqis, Arabs and foreigners in Iraq.

    Well, let’s just say they ain’t minutemen fighting for the good of Iraq.