| Submit your comments on this article |
| Iraq |
| SAS in secret war against Iranian agents |
| 2005-09-25 |
| TWO SAS soldiers rescued last week after being arrested by Iraqi police and handed over to a militia were engaged in a âsecret warâ against insurgents bringing sophisticated bombs into the country from Iran. The men had left their base near the southern Iraqi city of Basra to carry out reconnaissance and supply a second patrol with âmore tools and fire powerâ, said a source with knowledge of their activities. They had been in Basra for seven weeks on an operation prompted by intelligence that a new type of roadside bomb which has been used against British troops was among weapons being smuggled over the Iranian border. The bombs, designed to pierce the armour beneath coalition vehicles, are similar to ones supplied by Iran to Hezbollah, the Islamic militant group. âSince the increase in attacks against UK forces two months ago, a 24-strong SAS team has been working out of Basra to provide a safety net to stop the bombers getting into the city from Iran,â said one source. âThe aim is to identify routes used by insurgents and either capture or kill them.â The forces have tried to seal the notoriously porous border using high-technology sensors that monitor movement by night. They report to a major based in Baghdad in an unmarked building known as the âstation houseâ. Special forces commanders believe that a tip-off from a local worker at their base may have led to the menâs capture last Monday after a car chase by police, who later handed them to the Mahdi army of Moqtada al-Sadr, the maverick Shiâite cleric. They were freed from a nearby house. The disclosure that the SAS has targeted the Iranian border coincides with claims by a former Iraqi defence minister that parts of Iraq have fallen under Tehranâs control. |
| Posted by:Captain America |
| #4 This article further heightens my concerns about the increasingly active Iranian participation in Iraq, and their use of Hizbollah agents. Domestically, it seems likely that these same people in the U.S. will need to be clearly identified and watched. I can only imagine that they will increasingly be a source for 5th column activities when a more overt confrontation between the U.S. and Iran happens next year. |
| Posted by: Just About Enough! 2005-09-25 14:43 |
| #3 SCIRI Moqtada al-Sadr Badr Brigades Basra gov Muhammad al-Waili Iranian agents Basra police force completely co-opted Did the Brits let this critical city, province, node, flank be compromised? sure looks like it. Catch up will cost though, in coalition lives and political capital. They must have enough intel by now, it's time for the only language understood in the ME. Sharp and Brutal. |
| Posted by: mini rant 2005-09-25 12:37 |
| #2 One of 10,000 cloak-and-dagger ops ongoing. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-09-25 11:29 |
| #1 Secret war? Shhhhhhhhh. Don't tell anybody. |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-09-25 10:14 |