| Submit your comments on this article |
| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| For those who missed it - Iran sending weapons into Iraq |
| 2006-03-07 |
| U.S. military and intelligence officials tell ABC News that they have caught shipments of deadly new bombs at the Iran-Iraq border. They are a very nasty piece of business, capable of penetrating U.S. troops' strongest armor. What the United States says links them to Iran are tell-tale manufacturing signatures — certain types of machine-shop welds and material indicating they are built by the same bomb factory. "The signature is the same because they are exactly the same in production," says explosives expert Kevin Barry. "So it's the same make and model." U.S. officials say roadside bomb attacks against American forces in Iraq have become much more deadly as more and more of the Iran-designed and Iran-produced bombs have been smuggled in from the country since last October. "I think the evidence is strong that the Iranian government is making these IEDs, and the Iranian government is sending them across the border and they are killing U.S. troops once they get there," says Richard Clarke, former White House counterterrorism chief and an ABC News consultant. "I think it's very hard to escape the conclusion that, in all probability, the Iranian government is knowingly killing U.S. troops." U.S. intelligence officials say Iran is using the bombs as a way to drive up U.S. casualties in Iraq but without provoking a direct confrontation. John Negroponte, director of national intelligence, testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on Februrary 2, saying, "Tehran's intention to inflict pain on the United States and Iraq has been constrained by its caution to avoid giving Washington an excuse to attack it." The U.S. Army has embarked on a crash effort to find ways to stop the bombs, according to an unclassified report issued last month. The devices are easily hidden and detonated by motion detectors — like those used in garden security lights — that cannot be jammed. When exploded, the copper disc becomes a molten liquid bullet that can penetrate the thickest armor the United States has. "They penetrate the armor of an M1 Abrams tank," Clarke says. "They're shape charges. They go through anything, and they are very lethal." There is currently no real defense against the weapons, he says. "The Pentagon has a major crash study underway to figure out how to stop them," Clarke says, "but they haven't figured it out yet." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #12 Lol, CA. I've worked very hard to resist posting on this thread. Just mentioning Dickie's name is like Ralph's threat to send Alice to the moon, lol. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-03-07 20:06 |
| #11 Richard Clarke is a lousy liar puke. That said, Rummy will make 'em pay. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-03-07 20:04 |
| #10 Seems like the bright boys in the Army Ordnance Command in Havre de Grace could return the favor. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2006-03-07 15:09 |
| #9 DG, you do well to question, it's a healthy habit. I think that a quick examination of how tightly Iran controls its own borders and internal affairs are sufficient evidence of the likelihood that it is actively producing and smuggling these IEDs to Iraq. Iraq's shiites must eventually recognize the foolhardiness of allying themselves with Tehran's mullahs. Regardless, America must bring down Iran for the nuclear reason alone and hope that this chokes off the flow of these IEDs as well. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-07 13:28 |
| #8 "You don't just shop these little puppies out of your handy-dandy Sears catalog." Agreed Zenster, but because they also don’t come with a “Made in Iran” label the experts are left to speculate as to their origin. Then Based on Geo-Political considerations other experts make assumptions and insinuate motives. (I’ll let you decide if Richard Clarke is an “expert”.) Armed with enough anecdotal evidence, these experts (usually civilian) feel free to speak with an air of confidence. Conversely when Tony Blair was recently asked pointed questions regarding his confident Iran/IED statement he was forced to a much more circumspect response. I’m uneasy how these “matter of fact” statements get recycled as addendums to related stories when in reality they are just speculation. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2006-03-07 13:09 |
| #7 "...," says Richard Clarke, former White House counterterrorism chief and an ABC News consultant. "..." Wonderful. I can't believe this guy has any sort of a job. Or rather any credibility in the Intel field. What was it again, Richard? Our greatest threat in the 21st Century was cyberterrorism? *sigh* |
| Posted by: Anon4021 2006-03-07 12:06 |
| #6 Of course, that should read: "... it is nearly unimaginable that they are not aware, much less, fully participatory ..." |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-07 11:24 |
| #5 Where, oh where to begin ... Iran-designed and Iran-produced bombs "I think the evidence is strong that the Iranian government is making these IEDs, and the Iranian government is sending them across the border and they are killing U.S. troops ... "I think it's very hard to escape the conclusion that, in all probability, the Iranian government is knowingly killing U.S. troops." U.S. intelligence officials say Iran is using the bombs as a way to drive up U.S. casualties in Iraq but without provoking a direct confrontation. "Tehran's intention to inflict pain on the United States and Iraq has been constrained by its caution to avoid giving Washington an excuse to attack it." This has causus belli written all over it. Is it really a forgone conclusion the Iranian government is providing ordinances in the Iraq conflict? That's an honest question, DG. The honest answer? Yes. Iran's government so tightly controls much of what goes on within its borders that it is nearly unimaginable that they are unaware, much less, fully participatory in the export of these items. The design factors alone (e.g., shaped charges), reek of a military design laboratory. You don't just shop these little puppies out of your handy-dandy Sears catalog. Iran must have its @ss kicked out of sheer principal. Their sponsorship of terrorism and meddling in Iraq has passed the point of no return. Ahmadinejad's hostile rhetoric alone is sufficient reason to incapacitate the mullahs and their dreams of regional dominance. I just wish our government had the courage to perform a swift decapitation of Iran's majlis and nuclear facilities so that the Persian people might have a shot at building their own state for once. This has gone on for far too long. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-03-07 11:22 |
| #4 "I think it's very hard to escape the conclusion that, in all probability, the Iranian government is knowingly killing U.S. troops." Is it really a forgone conclusion the Iranian government is providing ordinances in the Iraq conflict? Is it possible the bomb factory with the "tell-tale manufacturing signatures" is operated without the knowledge or complicity of the goverment? Look, I'm not saying it isn't plausible or even likely but I have a feeling the headline and assertions would read quite differently if simmilar shipments were intercepted from...oh..say...SA. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2006-03-07 08:48 |
| #3 send them back and put 'em to good use. |
| Posted by: PlanetDan 2006-03-07 08:17 |
| #2 Patience, Shep, their time is coming. |
| Posted by: DanNY 2006-03-07 06:13 |
| #1 unfortuantly we will just keep letting them do it too! There will be a strongly worded letter perhaps or a weak threat by us to do something about it but once again the Iranians are playing us for fools. I have lost all faith in ever dealing with Iran and to be perfectly honest i think they getting the better of us every single day. I give up on anyone to sort those fckers out because everyone is just to damn gutless including Britain and the US. what next eh crate loads of chemical munitions being shipped into Iraq for use with the Iranians knowing perfectly well we are to fckin gutless to strike back! |
| Posted by: ShepUK 2006-03-07 05:57 |