US special forces 'inside Iran'

[shamrock_uk]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/4180087.stm

US special forces 'inside Iran' By Justin Webb BBC News, Washington The American investigative journalist Seymour Hersh has claimed that US commandos are operating inside Iran selecting sites for future air strikes. In the latest edition of the New Yorker, Hersh says intelligence officials have revealed that Iran is the US' "next strategic target". Hersh says that American special forces have conducted reconnaissance missions inside Iran for six months. Potential targets include nuclear sites and missile installations, he says. They have been aided by information from the government of Pakistan, Hersh adds. He reports as well that American special forces units have been authorised to conduct covert operations in as many as 10 nations in the Middle East and South Asia. 'Riddled with inaccuracies' Hersh bases his claims on anonymous sources, including former intelligence officials and consultants with links to the Pentagon. One such consultant is quoted as saying that the civilians in the Pentagon wanted to go into Iran and destroy as much of the military infrastructure as possible. The article has already drawn fire from the White House: the communications director, Dan Bartlett, called it "riddled with inaccuracies". "I don't believe that some of the conclusions he's drawing are based on fact," Mr Bartlett added. Hersh could be wrong. But he has a series of scoops to his name, including the details of the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal last year. His track record suggests that he should be taken seriously. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/h...as/4180087.stm Published: 2005/01/17 05:08:45 GMT © BBC MMV

[LennonCook]

If the fact that it has been officially denied is worth anything, this is undoubtedly true.

[shamrock_uk]

Cynical, Lennon!

I hope they don't actually attack Iran (surely they don't have the manpower??) - I stand to lose a bet I made with my International Relations tutor if they do!

Maybe they'll just do the occasional airstrike banter similar to Iraq in the 90s...surely Iran is too tough a nut to crack whilst tied up in Iraq.

Plus regime change in Iran would be even more morally dubious than it was in Iraq. It was one of the genuinely 'public spirited' revolutions that have occurred in history, throwing off 25 years of American-sponsored dictatorship. Methinks America would have to contend with public resistance that would make the current Iraq problems look tame...

[shamrock_uk]

My friend has just pointed out that they haven't denied it! All they did was say his account of things was

riddled with innacuracies

and that

I don't believe that some of the conclusions he's drawing are based on fact,

That's a far cry from saying "it's not true; American special forces aren't inside Iran"...

[ 01-17-2005, 08:42 AM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: Cynical, Lennon! I hope they don't actually attack Iran (surely they don't have the manpower??) - I stand to lose a bet I made with my International Relations tutor if they do! Maybe they'll just do the occasional airstrike banter similar to Iraq in the 90s...surely Iran is too tough a nut to crack whilst tied up in Iraq. Plus regime change in Iran would be even more morally dubious than it was in Iraq. It was one of the genuinely 'public spirited' revolutions that have occurred in history, throwing off 25 years of American-sponsored dictatorship. Methinks America would have to contend with public resistance that would make the current Iraq problems look tame...

Manpower? Morally dubious?
This is the USA you're talking about, we'll git'r* done. We still have billions worth of debt we haven't racked up yet, and there are hundreds of thousands of draft-eligible college kids squandering their lives in schools that do nothing more than turn them into liberals anyway.
And even though we initially set up the dictatorship in Iran, don't forget we brokered a deal for the Contras which not only funded freedom fighters in South America, but also provided arms to Iran after the dictator we sponsored was ousted. We always do the right thing, even if we have to break our own laws to do it.
How could you ever doubt us?


*Hillbilly talk copyright John D Harris via Larry the Cable Guy, 2005

[ 01-17-2005, 11:18 AM: Message edited by: Absynthe ]

[John D Harris]

Just like "Engulf and Devour" they have their fingers in everything.

Well if there are sources of Human intel on the ground, it's a far cry better then depending on just electronic intel.

[John D Harris]

Absy, sorry but "Git'r done" belongs to Larry the cable guy, though he and I speak the same language.

[Marty4]

Can any Canadians out there tell me

1. What the weather is like up there
2. What the policy is on teenage refugees hopping the border

I'm almost serious.

[shamrock_uk]

You guys (gals?) do make me smile sometimes.... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Azred]

Going into Afghanistan and routing out the Taliban, long very active supporters of bin Laden and his organization, was acceptable and justifiable.

Going into Iraq to rout out Hussein, a destabilizing force in the Middle East for many years and a committer of heinous human rights violations, was acceptable and justifiable.

Going into Iran at this time, for any reason, is neither acceptable nor justifiable. My advice to Bush--do not step into Iran, even to "look for terrorists". Yes, they may be there, but that would be the worst possible mistake he could make right now. I am pro-America, but I am also anti-stupid.