| Submit your comments on this article |
| Afghanistan |
| Iran supplying Taliban with SA-14 SAMs |
| 2009-03-02 |
| IRAN is supplying the Taliban in Afghanistan with surface-to-air missiles capable of destroying a helicopter, according to US intelligence sources. They believe the Taliban want to use the SA-14 Gremlin missiles to launch a "spectacular" attack against coalition forces in Helmand in the southwest of the country, where insurgents claim to be gaining the upper hand. Although coalition helicopters operating in southern Afghanistan are equipped with defensive systems to deflect an attempted strike, the SA-14 can evade such counter-measures. It was a shoulder-held SA-14 supplied by Iran that Iraqi insurgents used to shoot down a Lynx helicopter over Basra in May 2006. Five British service personnel died in that attack, including Wing Commander John Coxen and Flight Lieutenant Sarah-Jayne Mulvihill, the first British servicewoman killed in action since World War II. Although the Iranians are not natural supporters of the Taliban, they have been willing to assist them in the past to prevent Britain and the US gaining influence in the region. Special forces have previously intercepted arms shipments from Iran that would have helped the Taliban intensify a roadside bombing campaign that has killed coalition troops over the past 18 months. However, coalition forces became aware of the presence of SA-14s only two weeks ago when parts from two of them were discovered during a US operation in western Afghanistan. "The weapons are out there and we thought it was only a matter of time before they got one or two into the south," said a defence source. "A Taliban spectacular against British or American troops would reinforce an increasing view among ordinary Afghans that the Taliban are gaining the upper hand." In the past eight months, small arms and rocket-propelled grenade attacks on British helicopters in Helmand have increased. |
| Posted by:tu3031 |
| #12 I suspect this isnÂ’t such a big deal. Anything the Iranians could have done to hurt us severely, theyÂ’ve already done in Iraq. And failed miserably. The counter to shoulder-fired missiles is round-the-clock Predator and Global Hawk coverage of air routes, backed up with either UAV or manned aircraft missile strikes against SAM teams. |
| Posted by: Zhang Fei 2009-03-02 23:24 |
| #11 Is that enough of a clinched fist for Obama? |
| Posted by: mhw 2009-03-02 22:28 |
| #10 You ain't seen nothin' yet. |
| Posted by: B. Hussein Obama 2009-03-02 19:57 |
| #9 Very, very disturbing turn of events. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-03-02 19:33 |
| #8 why capture some and send them back, just send them some of very own and better missiles |
| Posted by: rabid whitetail 2009-03-02 14:09 |
| #7 It's past time we started killing Iran's big cheeses. Tit for tat and all that. Stat with the religious leaders, then the royalty, If they're the same, all the better. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-03-02 13:08 |
| #6 I know it's improbable. but try to capture a bunch and return them to Iran, by air mail. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2009-03-02 13:04 |
| #5 Iranians keep acting like they can fight these little proxy wars with us and the Israelis. It's almost like they think they're as big and bad as the old Soviet Union so they can get away with it. I wouldn't have thought that would be the case but apparently it is. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-03-02 12:39 |
| #4 It's past time we started killing Iran's big cheeses. Tit for tat and all that. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2009-03-02 12:12 |
| #3 Although the Iranians are not natural supporters of the Taliban, they have been willing to assist them in the past to prevent Britain and the US gaining influence in the region. Whatever it takes to kill infidels ... |
| Posted by: Steve White 2009-03-02 11:41 |
| #2 Mahmoud al-Wilson's War. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2009-03-02 11:34 |
| #1 I'm sure Russia is selling them to Iran at a discounted rate too. |
| Posted by: Anon4021 2009-03-02 11:15 |