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Iraq-Jordan
Fallujah attackers included at least 2 Iranians, 1 Lebanese
2004-02-15
Edited for relevence
Four of the attackers were killed as well as several Iraqi civilians, bringing the number of dead to 25. At least 40 people were wounded. Documents found on the four dead attackers indicated that one was Lebanese and that two were Iranians, the Americans said. The presence of fighters from those countries could be disturbing to Iraqis.
That’s suprising to me, and there is always the chance of the papers being false, but it also ties in with the story that Dan posted of the attackers speaking a non-Arabic language.
The goal of the raid, which lasted several minutes, was unclear, but there were indications that it was intended to free a small group held inside. American officials estimated that 70 prisoners had escaped, most of them common criminals, although the Iraqis put the figure higher. One police officer said the attackers had taken 18 prisoners with them. The Americans said the attack appeared to have been an attempt by supporters of Saddam Hussein’s former government, with the help of foreigners, to free a group of four insurgents who were captured attacking a busload of Iraqi civil defense forces last week. The apparent nationalities of the attackers lent credence to claims by Iraqi officers that the attackers were trying to free a group of Iranians captured last week. The claims, made Saturday by a number of police officers, dovetailed with statements made earlier this week by the Falluja police chief, Brig. Abid Farhan, speaking at a meeting with the Falluja city council and an American lieutenant colonel.
That would be Steve Russell's replacement...
Brigadier Farhan said an unspecified number of Iranians were captured as they tried to drive into the city late last month. After those arrests, the chief said, he imposed a 10 p.m. curfew across the city. The American lieutenant colonel, Brian Drinkwine, whose battalion is based in Falluja, heard the statements by Brigadier Farhan at the meeting and did not challenge them. Another police officer wounded in the attack, Faris Ibrahim, reiterated from his hospital bed that a group of Iranians had been captured in the city. "We knew they were Iranians because they could not speak Arabic, only Persian," he said.
VEVAK or Pasadran?
If proved, the presence of Iranian agents inside Iraq would be potentially explosive here. Falluja is an Sunni Muslim city, where people are acutely sensitive to the growing political power of the country’s Shiite majority. They are also wary of Iran, a Shiite country. After the battle on Saturday, the Iraqi police recovered a black battle flag. In the Muslim world, black is the color of the Shiites.
Black is also used as a battle flag by Sunni groups too, Hezb ut Tahrir and al Qaeda, for example..
Sounds like a Zarqawi setup. Import some Medes and Persians, a few Hezbollah, stage a major operation in a Sunni area, and the green turbans are giving the Shiites the hairy eyeball and vowing Dire Revenge™.
Posted by:Paul Moloney

#8  It's always a good sign when Iraqis take pride in defending themselves. It means that they're developing a sense of Nationalism and turning against the terrorists.
Posted by: Charles   2004-2-15 11:23:27 AM  

#7  The Belmontclub has an article up about this incident, quote:

"That when dying and bleeding, beset by the flower of terrorism, with pistol to set against automatic rifle and grenade, the Iraqi police did not ask for help from 82nd Airborne. They asked for ammunition."

Sorry, i have not figured out how to link yet (HTML Dyslexia) so here is the URL:

http://belmontclub.blogspot.com/
Posted by: Evert Visser   2004-2-15 11:10:53 AM  

#6  I'm skeptical that the attackers carried their actual identification documents on this mission.
Posted by: Mike Sylwester   2004-2-15 8:47:52 AM  

#5  Col. Drinkwine implored his battalion to stay sober? Stay Alert! Drinkwine said.

Stopping.

Posted by: Shipman   2004-2-15 8:45:16 AM  

#4  lieutenant colonel, Brian Drinkwine,
Good moslem name.... Fatwa coming the Colonels way in 5....4.....3
Posted by: Shipman   2004-2-15 8:43:25 AM  

#3  Corden and search tactics are very effective in ferreting out Iranian agents since even those who speak arabic do it with a persian accents.

Expect lots of C&S next week in Falluja.
Posted by: mhw   2004-2-15 7:50:24 AM  

#2  hope if rummy gets his way then that stupid lebonese shit may just be having to fight for his life in his own 'country'
Posted by: Jon Shep U.K   2004-2-15 4:40:59 AM  

#1   It could also have a red herring to try to put the blame on Shi'ites in hopes of radicalizing Sunnis, re: the Zarqawi letter. Keep in mind that a lot of al-Qaeda have passed through Iran and I imagine that they could easily have picked up some Farsi there if this was intended to be a stunt.

And the al-Qaeda battle standard is a black flag with writing on it.
Posted by: Dan Darling   2004-2-15 1:10:40 AM  

00:00