Article

2007-02-25 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

US Funding Iranian Minorities; Moves Bombers From Diego Garcia To Qatar

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Posted by Anonymoose 2007-02-25 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11127 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 how come al-guardian didn't blame Israel?

Posted by mhw 2007-02-25 00:09|| 2007-02-25 00:09|| Front Page Top

#2 I don't buy it, unless we are getting sloppy any news on this front will be mullahs on stakes and Spooky gunfire. There will be no forewarning

Posted by Flolumble Elmuling1667 2007-02-25 00:22|| 2007-02-25 00:22|| Front Page Top

#3 I think the media is probably doing a lot of fishing.

Posted by gorb 2007-02-25 00:32|| 2007-02-25 00:32|| Front Page Top

#4 The British media have been all over these garbage military "stories" the last couple of days. They must be worried that the U.S. Is going to take on their Iranian buddies.

Posted by Mike N. 2007-02-25 02:11|| 2007-02-25 02:11|| Front Page Top

#5 The US has also moved six heavy bombers from a British base on the Pacific island of Diego Garcia to the Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which could allow them to carry out strikes on Iran without seeking permission from Downing Street.

I definitely call BS on that one. Heavy bombers=B-52s, and if one of those were to show up in Qatar, you'd have people tripping all over themselves to change their dishdashas .

Mike

Posted by Mike Kozlowski 2007-02-25 07:11|| 2007-02-25 07:11|| Front Page Top

#6 I remember when the bombers were taking off in Britain during the Iraq bombardment that there were news crews at the end of the runways televising the takeoffs and saying that they would be over Baghdad in so many hours. I hope there was a lesson learned by that.

Posted by JerseyMike 2007-02-25 08:07|| 2007-02-25 08:07|| Front Page Top

#7 of course we'd break these developments in the Telegraph, after our secret briefing of the NYT. PSYOPS. But if the CIA isn't doing these things, they should be fired

Posted by Frank G">Frank G 2007-02-25 08:29|| 2007-02-25 08:29|| Front Page Top

#8 The story's based on the speculation of "former" officials, at least one speaking anonymously. It's as trustworthy as anything published in the Weekly World News.

Posted by Rob Crawford">Rob Crawford 2007-02-25 08:39|| http://www.kloognome.com/]">[http://www.kloognome.com/] 2007-02-25 08:39|| Front Page Top

#9 Diego Garcia was upgraded to cope with B2 Spirits.

I find it rather implausible that the U.S. would now re-base them where they could be watched taking off.

Posted by Bright Pebbles in Blairistan 2007-02-25 08:46|| 2007-02-25 08:46|| Front Page Top

#10 I find it rather implausible that the U.S. would now re-base them where they could be watched taking off.

Not if Tony, who has concluded there can be no military option in Iran, is bossing his poodle, George, about. It's a feel good story about the obvious iced with the optimistic.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2007-02-25 09:27|| 2007-02-25 09:27|| Front Page Top

#11 The B-2 requires specific maintenance every time it flies. Shelters were built in the UK and Diego Garcia for this purpose in the run-up to the Iraq War (Part Deux). Unless such shelters have been built more recently at Al Udeid this story cannot be accurate in that detail.

Of course, there has been nothing to stop construction of such a facility at Al Udeid:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/al-udeid-imagery2.htm

Posted by Excalibur 2007-02-25 09:37|| 2007-02-25 09:37|| Front Page Top

#12 John Pike used the term "hotted up"?

I highly doubt it.

Posted by Parabellum 2007-02-25 10:44|| 2007-02-25 10:44|| Front Page Top

#13 B-1s?

Posted by RWV 2007-02-25 11:13|| 2007-02-25 11:13|| Front Page Top

#14 Of course, by international standards, a Strike Eagle qualifies as a heavy bomber.

Posted by RWV 2007-02-25 11:14|| 2007-02-25 11:14|| Front Page Top

#15 RVW
That's my guess. Everybody forgets about "The Bone." They shouldn't. It's visually impressive, fast and hauls a lot of boom. It's not as cheap to fly as a -52, and not as stealthy as the Spirits so it doesn't get a lot of press.

On a different topic: My, hasn't Iran had a lot of accidents lately.

Posted by Thrinenter Spaise2204 2007-02-25 11:27|| 2007-02-25 11:27|| Front Page Top

#16 Bet RWV and 2204 are right. B-1beez have been noted loitering around Baghdad recently. Course they might just be moving north for Spring.

Posted by Shipman 2007-02-25 11:33|| 2007-02-25 11:33|| Front Page Top

#17 President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pronounced: Ahmed- needsjihad)just announced that their nuclear program is an "unstoppable train without brakes". I seem to think we a have a couple of tools in the box that can stop the train or create a crater down the line big enough to derail it.

Posted by HammerHead 2007-02-25 12:04|| 2007-02-25 12:04|| Front Page Top

#18 Parabellum, I too noticed the "hotted up" thing - assume it's just the editors' britishizing of the English. But Global Security is "influential"? Huh? They're quite useful, and though Pike's often out of his area when being interviewed, he doesn't do a bad job most of the time, esp. for a Beltway weenie who looks and sounds the part besides. But while they're a useful resource, I'm puzzled by the description of Global Security as "influential". My understanding is they do info, not advocacy.

Posted by Verlaine 2007-02-25 12:38|| 2007-02-25 12:38|| Front Page Top

#19 In a move that reflects Washington's growing concern with the failure of diplomatic initiatives, CIA officials are understood to be helping opposition militias among the numerous ethnic minority groups clustered in Iran's border regions.

The operations are controversial because they involve dealing with movements that resort to terrorist methods in pursuit of their grievances against the Iranian regime.

In the past year there has been a wave of unrest in ethnic minority border areas of Iran, with bombing and assassination campaigns against soldiers and government officials.

Although Washington officially denies involvement in such activity, Teheran has long claimed to detect the hand of both America and Britain in attacks by guerrilla groups on its internal security forces. Last Monday, Iran publicly hanged a man, Nasrollah Shanbe Zehi, for his involvement in a bomb attack that killed 11 Revolutionary Guards in the city of Zahedan in Sistan-Baluchistan. An unnamed local official told the semi-official Fars news agency that weapons used in the attack were British and US-made.

Okay, let's get something straight here: Terrorism is when, to make a political point, civilians are attacked. It's a proper geurilla movement if the targets are exclusively government or military.

Posted by Ptah">Ptah 2007-02-25 14:41|| http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org]">[http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2007-02-25 14:41|| Front Page Top

#20

Posted by Angenter Crolugum3645 2007-02-25 15:19|| 2007-02-25 15:19|| Front Page Top

#21 Obviously, the British and Americans are too dumb to hide the origin of these 'weapons", or the clever Iranians are sooooo smart they can identify the US/British fingerprints.

Or maybe they're blowing smoke.

Posted by Bobby 2007-02-25 16:03|| 2007-02-25 16:03|| Front Page Top

#22 Any US bomber based in Qatar will be visible to observers so we should be able to confirm which / if any there are. I also doubt moving the B2s there, logisitics as well as the (unlikely) lucky punch would make great propaganda, plus they can fly 44 hours + (crew endurance is limiting factor) so no need to position close; just launch earlier and line up the tankers.

Posted by USN, ret. 2007-02-25 20:15|| 2007-02-25 20:15|| Front Page Top

#23 Of course, this could be a "Left hand, right hand" move : if the Emir has upgraded a couple of shelters at his super base for B-2s, and a couple of them happen to be stationed there for a bit, everyone will be looking at them. As long as they are on the ground, everyone will be looking at Qatar, not Diego Garcia or Iraq.
Left hand waving, right hand comes in for an upper cut.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2007-02-25 21:53|| 2007-02-25 21:53|| Front Page Top

#24 F15 "Strike Eagle" > oh yeah, dat famous 1990's photo of an F15E carrying circa 25,000 ibs of Ordnuncez Boom-booms. Sigh, iff only the Navy had built the F14 "BombCat" or "BattleCat"!?

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-02-25 21:58|| 2007-02-25 21:58|| Front Page Top

#25 As well, the whole thing about US/British supplied weapons and explosives is BS : you always use sterile supplies for this type of operation. AKs, RPGs, RPKs, Russian mortars, Semtex, East German boots, Russian or Chinese uniforms, and ammo from former Warsaw Pact depots are readily available to us if we want to supply someone.
Hell, we can buy some of the captured stock from the Ethiopians/Somalis and transship to the Iranians. Or get stuff from Afghanistan, Iraq, captures from the Israelis, Uganda, Liberia, Sierra Leone, etc; and supply the rebels with that.
You never use stuff made in your country for this, at least not if you want deniability.

Posted by Shieldwolf 2007-02-25 22:01|| 2007-02-25 22:01|| Front Page Top

#26 Repositioning bombers are the same as moving the fleet into an area. Political chess pieces and messages to our friends and enemies. Leaking the move or openly posting the move is posturing and gunboat diplomacy. Good move by the administration.

When I was a young trooper in the 82d, 1981, there was a poster with a giant mushroom cloud and the quote. "Made in America, Tested in Japan. We know the bomb will work, let's use it on Iran!"

Posted by 49 Pan 2007-02-25 22:20|| 2007-02-25 22:20|| Front Page Top

#27 America is secretly funding militant ethnic separatist groups in Iran

Not any more - thanks a heap.

Posted by DMFD 2007-02-25 22:22|| 2007-02-25 22:22|| Front Page Top

#28 MVARIETY.com > NEWSWEEK > GUAM IS FRONTLINE IN POSSIBLE FUTURE CONFLICT WITH CHINA. * IONews [earlier], RUSSIANS + CHICOM PLA front companies reportedly heavily investing in Northern Marianas[CNMI].

Posted by JosephMendiola 2007-02-25 23:15|| 2007-02-25 23:15|| Front Page Top

23:44 Chuck
23:16 JosephMendiola
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