Panetta: Iranian weapons used to attack Americans in Iraq

[n2doc]

By David S. Cloud, Los Angeles Times
July 10, 2011, 12:54 p.m.
Reporting from Baghdad— Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Sunday that weapons supplied by Iran are behind a rash of attacks against American forces in Iraq, part of an escalating campaign of violence ahead of the planned U.S. troop withdrawal by the end of the year.

"We're seeing more of those weapons going in from Iran, and they've really hurt us," said Panetta, who arrived in Baghdad on an unannounced visit after a two-day stop in Afghanistan.

U.S. officials said 15 U.S. troops were killed in June, the most in any month in two years. More than half of the deaths were caused by rockets known as Improvised Rocket Assisted Mortars that U.S. officials say are provided to Shiite militant groups by Iran.

A senior U.S. official said the attacks against U.S. forces were an effort by the Iranian-backed militias to make it appear as though they were forcing out American troops, all of whom are due to withdraw by the end of the year under a 2008 agreement between Washington and Baghdad.

more
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq-panetta-20110711,0,4481847.story

Perhaps we should bring Rummy back, he was really good at this kind of saber rattling...

[Purveyor]

1. So he has been issued to official neocon propaganda 'playbook' I see... eom

[Lasher]

2. I thought we got all our combat troops out in August last year.

I wonder what it is that these soldiers could be dying from.

[spanone]

3. hey leon, get us the fuck out of iraq and we won't have to worry about who's weapons are firin on us

[gateley]

4. I know we're all cynical (rightly so) but what if Iran IS becoming a

threat? They have some real whacks there. I really feel for the Iranian people. :(

[n2doc]

5. And what, prey tell, would you suggest we do about it n/t

[gateley]

9. I have absolutely no idea, but I'd assume they'd do something

if they're in on the attacks on us. The BEST thing, of course, is to just get the fuck out of the area, but that's not going to happen. :grr:

I'm just wondering if we're blowing it off because we've been lied to so often (and repeatedly) when there might be genuine cause for caution.

But as to what we should do? I can't think of anything that would be acceptable to me other than, again, getting out of the area.

[cherokeeprogressive]

6. A few years ago, this would have drawn instant replies stating

Cheney was simply putting feelers out in preparation for an attack against Iran.

[lunatica]

7. Is this the opening drumbeat for that war with Iran?

Has the catapulting of the war propaganda started already?

This time though, we will be waging war on a country that can and will fight back.

[onethatcares]

8. ahh Jesus, doesn't this shit ever stop?

if we can't be at war, we can't be doing anything.

Get our troops out of the middle east now and let's try some other kind of diplomacy.

[slipslidingaway]

10. knr n/t

[hobbit709]

11. Didn't they make this same BS claim a few years back?

[provis99]

12. you suck, Panetta!

[Karmadillo]

13. Seven is our lucky number!! Double down, double down!!

nt

[Jack Sprat]

14. If we had not attacked Iraq

and taken down Saddam, then we would still have a buffer state against Iran. But since Iraq is dominantly Shiite, it's not surprising they will grow closer to the Shia of Iran.