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| Iraq |
| U.S. troops release detained Iranians |
| 2007-08-29 |
| A group of eight Iranians, including two diplomats, were released by U.S. forces Wednesday after being detained because unauthorized weapons were found in their cars, the U.S. military said. An adviser to the top U.S. general in Iraq called the situation "regrettable." The incident Tuesday came as tensions between Washington and Tehran were already strained by the detention of each other's citizens as well as U.S. accusations of Iranian involvement in Iraq's violence and alleged Iranian efforts to develop nuclear bombs. In Tehran, Iranian officials on Wednesday summoned a Swiss diplomat who represents American interests in the country to protest the U.S. forces' detention of the eight Iranians, the Foreign Ministry said. Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini called the U.S. action an act of "interference" in Iraq's internal affairs and "inconsistent" with the responsibilities of U.S.-led occupation forces in Iraq. Four cars carrying the Iranians, as well as seven Iraqis, were stopped at a checkpoint Tuesday evening and then allowed to proceed to the nearby Sheraton Ishtar hotel, where they were later taken into custody and questioned, the military said. Saadi Othman, an adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. general in Iraq, told British Broadcasting Corp. television that the incident was "regrettable" and had "nothing to do" with President Bush's remarks on Tuesday, when he lashed out at Iran for meddling in Iraq's affairs and fomenting instability here. Bush strongly criticized Iran in a speech to the American Legion convention in Reno, Nev., in which he presented a ringing defense of the unpopular Iraq war effort. "I have authorized our military commanders in Iraq to confront Tehran's murderous activities," said Bush, whose administration has accused Iran of arming Shiite militias in Iraq. "The Iranian regime must halt these actions." Troops seized three weapons from the cars — an AK-47 assault rifle and two 9mm pistols that had been in the possession of the Iraqis in the group. The Iraqis were serving as a protective detail but had no weapons permits, the U.S. military said. Videotape shot Tuesday night by AP Television News showed U.S. troops leading a group of blindfolded and handcuffed men out of the hotel in central Baghdad. U.S. troops confiscated a laptop, cell phones and a briefcase full of Iranian and American money in the hotel, the military said. "Following the brief room search the group was taken to a coalition facility for questioning," the U.S. military said in a statement. "The Iranian nationals had passports. It was later determined that two of the Iranian individuals were carrying diplomatic credentials." All the Iranians were released Wednesday to Iraqi officials, the military said. The fate of the Iraqis — who identified themselves with Iraqi Ministry of Electricity badges — was not immediately clear, and the military did not say whether the confiscated items were returned. |
| Posted by:ed |
| #7 but we made our point. a. Iranians in Iraq will spend more time looking over their shoulders and less on meddling. b. Sometimes just observing the reaction to an event can be enlightening. |
| Posted by: Skunky Glins5285 2007-08-29 21:44 |
| #6 Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini called the U.S. action an act of "interference" in Iraq's internal affairs and "inconsistent" with the responsibilities of U.S.-led occupation forces in Iraq. If we are an illegal occupying force, then how come we have "responsibilities" there? |
| Posted by: gorb 2007-08-29 16:32 |
| #5 We need to start collecting these Iranian subversives as bargaining chips for the next round due east. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2007-08-29 14:39 |
| #4 I agree, the release was 'regrettable.' |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2007-08-29 14:04 |
| #3 Beep... Beep... Beep... |
| Posted by: mojo 2007-08-29 10:24 |
| #2 Please excuse us for the delay, here's your stuff with new C drives installed. Have a great day. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-08-29 09:25 |
| #1 Oh look, a spare copy of those Ministry of Electricity files! How did those get here? |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2007-08-29 08:52 |