IRAN'S COVERT WAR AGAINST THE UNITED STATES
May 6, 2004
By Toby Westerman
Copyright 2004 International News Analysis Today
www.inatoday.com
U.S. troops are battling Iraqi insurgents trained, supported, and led by Iranian military experts, according MEMRI, an organization which covers the Middle Eastern press.
Iran's involvement in Iraq also puts into question the intentions of Russia, America's ally in the war on terror.
Iranian military and espionage professionals are crossing into Iraq in large numbers, often disguised as religious pilgrims, and lead many attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces.
Iraqi sources estimate that 14,000 Iranian agents are presently operating in Iraq.
The borders of Iraq are porous. The provisional Iraqi government allows one to two thousand Iranians to daily cross its borders, but the actual number is closer to ten thousand.
One of the main targets of Iran's espionage efforts is known to be the Iraqi security service, still being formed by the U.S.-led coalition. One indicator of Iranian influence within the world of Iraqi security is the increasing number of Iraqi police officers wearing beards, a sign of support for the Islamic Revolution in Iran.
Millions of dollars of Iranian money is funding the support and training the followers of rebel cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, a determined foe of the U.S.-led coalition. Iranian military and intelligence services have established camps on the Iraq-Iran border to train Al-Sadr's militia in the techniques of guerilla warfare, construction and use of explosives, reconnoitering and espionage, according to reports.
The Iranian embassy in Baghdad is known to have supplied members of Al-Sadr's organization with 400 satellite phones to assist in fast, dependable communication between forces operating against the U.S. and its allies in Iraq.
Al-Sadr's forces have offered skilled resistance to U.S. forces in Baghdad and Najaf.
Behind Iran stands Russia. Despite its position as America's ally in the war on terror, Moscow is unapologetic regarding its close cooperation with Iran. Moscow not only has close military ties with Iran, but also assists Tehran with its controversial nuclear development program.
In contrast to statements that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, international experts have found evidence that Iran's atomic research also has military capabilities.
While energetically defending its relations with Iran, Moscow condemns America's presence in Iraq, declaring that "the U.S. wants to establish Iraq as a kind of American colony," according to the Voice of Russia World Service, the official broadcasting service of the Russian government.
Add your name to our Exclusive Reports email list:
Email us at
editor@inatoday.com
FOR OUR IN-DEPTH PRINT REPORT,
INTERNATIONAL NEWS ANALYSIS:
(12 issues)
only $29.95
Canadian and overseas
$39.95
U.S. funds only, please
Subscribe Now
U.S. Subscribers:
Subscribers
outside the U.S.:
OR ORDER BY MAIL:
International News Analysis
2364 Jackson St. #301
Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A.
Copyright 2004
International News Analysis Today
2364 Jackson St. #301
Stoughton, WI 53589 U.S.A.
Return to INA TODAY.com homepage