March 30, 2007
Can we call THIS an act of war?
A short Army press release issued on the day of the skirmish offered the following information: U.S. soldiers from the 5th Squadron 73rd Cavalry 82nd Airborne were accompanying Iraqi forces on a routine joint patrol along the border with Iran, about 75 miles east of Baghdad, when they spotted two Iranian soldiers retreating from Iraqi territory back into Iran. A moment later, U.S. and Iraqi forces came upon a third Iranian soldier on the Iraqi side of the border, who stood his ground. As U.S. and Iraqi soldiers approached the Iranian officer and began speaking with him, a platoon of Iranian soldiers appeared and moved to surround the coalition patrol, taking up positions on high ground. At that point, according to the Army's statement, the Iranian captain told the U.S. and Iraqi soldiers that if they tried to leave they would be fired on. Fearing abduction by the Iranians, U.S. troops moved to go anyway, and fighting broke out. Army officials say the Iranian troops fired first with small arms and rocket-propelled grenades, and that U.S. troops fell further back into Iraqi territory, while four Iraqi army soldiers, one interpreter and one Iraqi border guard remained in the hands of the Iranians.
Read the article. This happened September 7th. I'm assuming that would be 2006
Posted by: Vinnie at
05:49 PM
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If we would have spanked the Iranians last September, they would not have had the nerve to grab the Brits last week.
Posted by: wooga at March 30, 2007 07:08 PM (t9sT5)
I had the very same criticism for Rumsfeld.
But reading R.N. Admiral West's comments as to why the Brit's didn't fight back; one gets the impression that the Rumsfeld mind set may still be shared by some allies. Here's a quote from Admiral Sir West:
"..The rules are very much de-escalatory, because we don't want wars starting..."
Posted by: Garduneh Mehr at March 30, 2007 07:20 PM (j97MF)
Posted by: Garduneh Mehr at March 30, 2007 07:23 PM (j97MF)
What I don't understand is what the hell are the allies waiting for?
How much more provocation do the U.S. and Britain need?
If the allies are reluctant to effect regime change, at the very least they should do something to force the regime to release the kidnapped R.N. personnel. For instance, the allies could simply take over the largest of the Iranian islands in the Persian Gulf to be traded for the safe and unconditional return of the Brits.
I promise you diplomacy only works on someone who subscribes to it; on a bunch of fatalistic terrorist Mo-slime scum bag it's a complete waste.
Posted by: Garduneh Mehr at March 30, 2007 07:34 PM (j97MF)
Posted by: Vinnie at March 30, 2007 08:33 PM (BH1E/)
Exactly. "Diplomacy," as the Europeans mean it, involves "compromise." As far as I know, the word itself does not even exist in any middle eastern language without a negative connotation (as in "compromise your integrity").
Add on the wildly divergent "end goals" of Iran versus the west, and european style diplomacy is doomed.
Posted by: wooga at March 30, 2007 08:34 PM (t9sT5)
Posted by: wb at March 30, 2007 09:54 PM (L3O5+)
Compromise is by definition alien to Islam since the latter by definition demands submission.
In Persian culture though there are many expressions for it
"ba ham kenar amadan"
"saazesh"
"ham-siesty"
etc etc.
Posted by: Garduneh Mehr at March 31, 2007 12:21 AM (EdIIN)
Posted by: greyrooster at March 31, 2007 12:35 AM (LDOOz)
Iranian military source quoted by al-Sharq al-Awsat as saying that decision to capture 15 British sailors in Persian Gulf was reached after diplomatic efforts to release ‘Al-Quds Force’ officers seized by American troops in Iraq failed;
Sounds like they planned to start a War, though Iran isn't scared of reprisals --After all they've killed Marines, abducted and tortured to death CIA agents, killed members of the Air Force and abducted and killed American citizens around the globe, and America just hits the snooze button.
Posted by: davec at March 31, 2007 11:14 AM (9DUEl)
Posted by: greyrooster at March 31, 2007 08:43 PM (P64nD)
Posted by: wb at March 31, 2007 09:27 PM (0HmJb)
Posted by: greyrooster at April 01, 2007 01:25 PM (Met7C)
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