Iran 'paid Iraq insurgents to kill UK soldiers'

[Tanker]

En waarschijnlijk werden ze niet alleen betaal om Engelse militairen te doden, opstandelingen van Muqtada al Sadr waren ook actief in Al Muthanna in 2004 en 2005 waarbij 2 Nederlandse militairen zijn gesneuveld....

En we blijven maar overleggen met een land waarvan de president openlijk oproept tot een totale vernietiging van de staat Israel. 

[Ros]

Het is, denk ik , inmiddels geen geheim meer dat Iran de opstandelingen in Irak helpt met geld en materiaal.  Als men dieper gaat spitten kom je vast wel meer islamitische landen tegen die de opstandelingen steunen.

Iran heeft meer belang bij een Iraaks bewind dan een door het westen in het zadel geholpen, "verkozen" regering. Wishfull thinking om aan te nemen dat de buurlanden zich neutraal zullen opstellen in dit conflict.

Een act of war zou ik het zo hard niet willen noemen. De Russen zouden weleens bij de VS aan kunnen kloppen over de door de CIA gesteunde operaties tegen de Russen in Afghanistan.

[Lex]

Ja en nee, in principe kan het uitgelegd worden als een act of war. Dus het nieuws op zichzelf is niet zo onverwacht, maar wel de bewijsvoering kan voor de publieke opinie in de wereld grote impact hebben.

Over dit onderwerp bestaan reeds diverse postings op het Defensie Forum, inclusief  zogenaamde "bewijslasten". Het bericht van "The Telegraph", wordt dus toegevoegd aan de rij die er reeds is. Ook deze bewijsvoering zal geen impact hebben op de publieke opinie.

[VandeWiel]

Niet echt verassend...

Ja en nee, in principe kan het uitgelegd worden als een act of war. Dus het nieuws op zichzelf is niet zo onverwacht, maar wel de bewijsvoering kan voor de publieke opinie in de wereld grote impact hebben.

[Enforcer]

Niet echt verassend...

[VandeWiel]

Nieuws met een redelijk explosieve lading dat toevallig net nu wordt gelekt.

Iran 'paid Iraq insurgents to kill UK soldiers'

Iran has secretly paid Iraqi insurgents hundreds of thousands of American dollars to kill British soldiers, according to a leaked government document obtained by The Telegraph.

Mahdi Army fighters take positions in Basra: the reports details that young men were paid up to up to $300 a month to fight the British
The allegations are contained in a confidential "field report" written by a British officer who served in Basra during one of the most dangerous periods of the conflict. The report, which has never been made public, shows the full level of Iran's involvement in the insurgency for the first time.

The document states that the Jaish al-Mahdi (JAM) – also known as the Mahdi Army – one of the most violent insurgent groups operating in Basra, used money from Iran to recruit and pay young unemployed men up to $300 (£150) a month to carry out attacks against the British. The findings have been passed to the highest levels in the military.

The leak comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and the international community, as Tehran continues to stonewall UN inquiries into allegations that it has carried out research to develop a nuclear weapon.

The report, "Life Under Fire in the Old State Building", details the activities of British troops under the command of Major Christopher Job, of the 2nd Lancashire Regiment, between November 2006 and March 2007.

In the report, Major Job discloses that in the course of five months his base was attacked 350 times. Old State Building, which is in the centre of Basra, is the most-attacked British base in recent history.

In an attempt to discover who was behind the attacks, the officer says he established a network of informers, who supplied him with detailed intelligence on the actions of the insurgents and who was behind their funding.

The officer states that the reports of Iran's involvement came from a network of 25 sources, which included a former Iraqi army general, prominent businessmen, local sheikhs and council leaders.

He writes: "We learnt from a number of our Key Leadership Engagements [local contacts] that the source of the problem was the level of unemployment in Basra.

"JAM, using funding from Iran, paid the unemployed youths in the region of $300 per month to attack Multi National Forces. We also learnt that JAM had a drugs culture and that youths literally got hooked on being associated with JAM."

Twenty-seven members of the Armed Forces died and dozens were seriously injured in southern Iraq between November 2006 and May 2007, the period that Major Job covers in his report.

A senior British officer who has recently returned from southern Iraq said that the existence of "Iranian finance teams" in Basra was widely known by the British military and Foreign Office, although always officially denied.

He said: "It suited Iran to arm JAM in order to allow them to have the means to hit us."

Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP and a former infantry commander said: "This report makes it quite clear that Iran is directly involved in funding the insurgency."

He added: "The Government must confront Tehran over the deaths of British troops – anything else is appeasement."

A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said: "There is evidence to suggest a malign influence in Iraq by Iran, including the supply of equipment and armaments which are used by insurgents against UK forces in Iraq.

"This influence is completely unacceptable and serves only to undermine the efforts by the government of Iraq and the coalition."

Bron: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/2022631/Iran-'paid-Iraq-insurgents-to-kill-UK-soldiers'.html