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Foreign hardliners pouring into Iraq
BAGHDAD - The governing US-led coalition said on its Baghdad radio station on Friday that Islamist hardliners are pouring into Iraq in a bid to destabilise the country, in what appeared to be a clear warning to Iran. "Fundamentalists under foreign command have entered Iraq with aggressive intent and it is in the interest of the Iraqi people to help the coalition," it said, without specifying from where they came. It asked Iraqis to inform the coalition of the names and whereabouts of any infiltrators in their areas and said those who come forward should have no fear of speaking out. "If necessary the coalition can protect you and your family," the announcement said. "Do what is right for your family, your neighbours and your future." The coalition has stepped up the pressure on Iran in recent days and the top British official in Iraq, John Sawers, told Prime Minister Tony Blair in the southern city of Basra on Thursday that the Islamic regime was active there. "There is clear evidence of the Iranians trying to put in place a mechanism for them to exert influence," he said. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld charged Thursday that Iran was trying to stir up opposition to US and British forces in Iraq with radio broadcasts and by sending Revolutionary Guards into the country. Asked in a radio interview whether the United States was gearing up for war against Iran, Rumsfeld said, "Not to my knowledge."
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-05-30 |
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