http://www.turkishd <http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=73867> ailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=73867 Iran 'plans to force US out of Iraq' Wednesday, May 23, 2007 ISTANBUL - TDN with wire dispatches
Shiite Iran, regarded as "heretic" by the Sunni Wahhabi extremist al-Qaeda is "secretly forging ties" with al-Qaeda elements in Iraq, The Guardian claimed yesterday. According the story based on accounts of U.S. officials, the cooperation aims to unleash a "summer offensive" against United States forces in Iraq and force the U.S. Congress to vote for "a full military withdrawal." "Iran is fighting a proxy war in Iraq and it's a very dangerous course for them to be following. They are already committing daily acts of war against U.S. and British forces," a senior U.S. official in Baghdad said to the paper. "They [Iran] are behind a lot of high-profile attacks meant to undermine U.S. will and British will, such as the rocket attacks on Basra palace and the Green Zone [in Baghdad]. The attacks are directed by the Revolutionary Guards who are connected right to the top [of the Iranian government]." A 'fluid relationship': The official, declining to be named, claimed the U.S. military is bracing for a "Iranian-orchestrated summer offensive" in Iraq. Reminding that U.S. commander General David Petraeus will report to Congress on the results of the "security surge" in September, the official said Iran "hopes to trigger a political mutiny in Washington and a U.S. retreat." The relationship between Iran and al-Qaeda affiliated groups are "very fluid," the official claimed. U.S. officials also claimed Iran is now supporting the Taliban insurgency, effectively overturning its long-established Afghanistan policy. The Taliban, like the al-Qaeda, subscribe to the Wahhabi/Salafi interpretation of Sunni Islam and thus, are virulent enemies of Shiite Iran. Taliban commanders are accused of killing thousands of Shiites in western Afghanistan. The Taliban had also executed eight Iranian diplomats in Mazar-i Sharif in 1997, a development which nearly resulted in Iranian military action against Afghanistan. Still, American officials claimed Iran now aims mainly to "foment a decisive congressional revolt" against White House policies and thus, is cooperating in Sunni groups, including al-Qaeda, in both countries. The U.S. official also claimed Iran is expanding its ties with the Kurdistan Patriotic Union (PUK), led by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani. He added that if Iran succeeded" in driving occupying forces out of Iraq, regional war would be a strong possibility, a war which would draw in "the Sunni Arab Gulf states, Syria and Turkey." Uneasiness in Baghdad: Meanwhile, Iraq's military is drawing up plans to cope with any quick U.S. military pullout, the defense minister said, as a senior American official warned that the Bush administration may reconsider its support if Iraqi leaders do not make major reforms by fall. "The army plans on the basis of a worst case scenario so as not to allow any security vacuum," Iraqi Defense Minister Abdul-Qader al-Obeidi said on Monday. "There are meetings with political leaders on how we can deal with a sudden pullout." Two senior Iraqi officials told The Associated Press that U.S. President George W. Bush warned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during a telephone conversation that Washington expected to see "tangible results quickly" on the oil bill and other legislation as the price for continued support. Senior Kurdish lawmaker Mahmoud Othman confirmed that U.S. pressure was mounting, especially on the oil bill, which was endorsed by the Iraqi Cabinet three months ago but has yet to come to the floor of parliament. "The Americans are pressuring us to accept the oil law. Their pressure is very strong. They want to show Congress that they have done something so they want the law to be adopted this month. This interference is negative and will have consequences," Othman told The AP. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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