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War, War, War See other War, War, War Articles Title: Iran Deploys Forces to Fight al Qaeda-Inspired Militants in Iraq BEIRUT, Lebanon—Iran deployed Revolutionary Guard forces to fight in Iraq, helping government troops there wrest back control of most of the city of Tikrit from militants, Iranian security sources said. Two battalions of the Quds Forces, the overseas branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps that has long operated in Iraq, came to the aid of the besieged, Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, they said. Combined Iraqi-Iranian forces retook control of 85% of Tikrit, the birthplace of former dictator Saddam Hussein, according to Iraqi and Iranian security sources. They were helping guard the capital Baghdad and the two Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, which have been threatened by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, an al Qaeda offshoot. The Sunni militant group's lightning offensive has thrown Iraq into its worse turmoil since the sectarian fighting that followed the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Shiite Iran has also positioned troops along its border with Iraq and promised to bomb rebel forces if they come within 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, of Iran's border, according to an Iranian army general. In addition, Iran was considering the transfer to Iraq of Iranian troops fighting for the regime in Syria if the initial deployments fail to turn the tide of battle in favor of Mr. Maliki's government. The Iraqi government has signaled to the U.S. it would allow airstrikes against insurgents and asked Washington to speed the delivery of promised weapons. That raises the prospect of both the U.S. and Iran lending support to Mr. Maliki against ISIS insurgents, who are seeking to create a caliphate encompassing Iraqi and Syrian territory. Gen. Qasem Sulaimani, the commander of the Quds Forces and one of the region's most powerful military figures, traveled to Baghdad this week to help manage the swelling crisis, said a member of the Revolutionary Guards, or IRGC. Qassimm al-Araji, an Iraqi Shiite lawmaker who heads the Badr Brigade bloc in parliament, posted a picture with Mr. Sulaimani holding hands in a room in Baghdad on his social-networking site with the caption, "Haj Qasem is here," Iranian news sites affiliated with the IRGC reported on Wednesday. "Haj Qasem" is Mr. Sulaimani's nom de guerre. At stake for Iran in the current tumult in Iraq isn't only the survival of an Shiite political ally in Baghdad, but the safety of Karbala and Najaf, which along with Mecca and Medina are considered sacred to Shiites world-wide. An ISIS spokesman, Abu Mohamad al-Adnani, urged the group's Sunni fighters to march toward the "filth-ridden" Karbala and "the city of polytheism" Najaf, where they would "settle their differences" with Mr. Maliki. That coarsely worded threat further vindicates Iran's view that the fight unfolding in Iraq is an existential sectarian battle between the two rival sects of Islam-Sunni and Shiite—and by default a proxy battle between their patrons Saudi Arabia and Iran. "Until now we haven't received any requests for help from Iraq. Iraq's army is certainly capable in handling this," Iran's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afgham said Wednesday. Despite those assuring comments, measures by the Iranian government in the past day indicated that an air of crisis had enveloped Tehran. Iran's army and border guards have been placed under full alert along the country's long border with Iraq, Iranian media reported. Iran's President Hasan Rouhani cut short a religious celebration on Thursday and said he had to attend an emergency meeting of the country's National Security Council about events in Iraq. "We, as the Islamic Republic of Iran, will not tolerate this violence and terrorism….We will fight and battle violence and extremism and terrorism in the region and the world," he said in a speech. Iran's chief of police, Esmail Ahmadi-Moghaddam, said the National Security Council would consider intervening in Iraq to "protect Shiite shrines and cities." ISIS's rapid territorial gains in the past few days appeared to have caught Iranian officials by surprise and opened a debate within the regime over whether Iran should publicly enter the battle, citing the country's strategic interest and ideological responsibility. Iranian officials also privately expressed concern about whether Mr. Maliki was capable of handling the turmoil. "The more insecure and isolated Maliki becomes, the more he will need Iran. The growth of ISIS presents a serious threat to Iran. So it would not be surprising to see the Guards become more involved in Iraq," said Alireza Nader, a senior policy analyst at the Rand Corp. Quds Forces have been active in Iraq since shortly after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 and have helped create, train and fund Shiite militias that fought U.S. military forces. Their reach and influence extends from Iraq to Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian territories. The two IRGC battalions moved to Iraq on Wednesday were shifted from the Iranian border provinces of Urumieh and Lorestan. Their task is to help secure the holy Shiite cities of Karbala and Najaf and tighten security around Baghdad, according to IRGC members in Iran. Revolutionary Guards units that serve in Iran's border provinces are the most experienced fighters in guerrilla warfare because of separatist ethnic uprisings in those regions. IRGC commanders dispatched to Syria also often hail from those provinces. Poster Comment: Watch, this will light a fire under Obongo when the Izzies tell him to "jump, boy!"....... Post Comment Private Reply Ignore Thread Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/Latest Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 14.
#2. To: X-15 (#0)
Latest news posted on Fox 1 hour ago - a quote from a CIA officer: www.foxnews.com/world/201...n-to-help-historical-foe/ snip “Baghdad is going to be overrun. The Green Zone is going down.” - U.S. intelligence official
That whole part of the world could get really messy in the next few days with Iran jumping into the fray. Nuclear Israel is the wild card in all of this. Never forget, Obongo is just an innocent bystander in all of this, Bush set this up from his front porch in Dallas just to embarrass the little nigger during his victory lap over getting Obamacare....
ROFL! Wouldn't it be a classic embarrassing moment for O'Bungler ( "his legacy") if Iran ends up having to rescue US and Euro diplomats and contractors in Balid, Taji, Baghdad? Tehran may even offer safe landing for US evac helicopters. Who else is on top of this Iraq situation but Iran? O'Bungler is at a fund raiser I think.
Since they've got US made Chinooks and Air Cobras, it would be even more ignominious to have Iran use US made helicopters to evacuate and defend US personnel from Iraq.
wow! a blast from the past! ;) nice to see you here, historian. hope all is well with you.
Thanks! I still lurk on occasion. Time is my enemy, with 8 cats, 3 dogs, full time work, and full time college, I just don't have much time available to inflict my presence upon this forum too much anymore.
it sounds like you're doing well. i'm glad. 8 cats? awesome. i have 3.
Everything is fine, I've really no complaints. Though, if I could get away with no sleep at all and be functional, I'd be much happier, because then I might have enough time. It's interesting to me. Twenty years ago, the days seemed longer, and years seemed REALLY long. When I was 27, in the Army, and waiting to get out it seemed like I'd NEVER get out. I only did 3 years and that was 1999. But now, I look at the calendar, see it's already June, and say "Damn! I'm going to blink and it'll be Christmas!" We inherited a few cats ("Can you watch my cats for a few days? No, I really don't want them back", that sort of thing), got a few from shelters, and then found a few strays. Before I knew it, there were 8. I much prefer cats over dogs, not least because I can leave the cats alone for two or three days and they're fine, where I've got to take the dogs to a kennel if we want to go away for a few days. We've got one 12 year old cat that spends a considerable amount of time with his head against the wall like he finds it fascinating. I used to say he needed a crash helmet to be safe because he seems kind of slow, but it's funny because he's 15 pounds, and none of the dogs will mess with him for fear he'll bring the pain. He walks really slowly around the house like he just doesn't care about anything. But he's quintessentially my cat, and if I sit on the couch, he has to be near me.
awwwww. i like your stories. here's a couple videos of mine. Beau is the red tabby, Coty is the brown tabby, and Mia is the black smoke.
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