Iraq War Resolution Debate Continues; Iran Accused
Monday February 12, 2007
Is it coincidence that on the eve of the debate, the White House accuses Iran of manufacturing bomb parts for Iraqi deployment? Unnamed military officials, of course.
From the Winnipeg Sun:
U.S. military officials yesterday accused the highest levels of the Iranian leadership of arming Shiite militants in Iraq with sophisticated armour-piercing roadside bombs that have killed more than 170 Americans....
The presentation was the result of weeks of preparation and revisions as U.S. officials put together a package of material to support the Bush administration's contention Iranian intervention on behalf of militant Iraqis fighting American forces....
The experts, who spoke to a large gathering of reporters on condition that they not be further identified, said the supply trail began with Iran's Revolutionary Guards Quds Force, which also is accused of arming the Hezbollah guerrilla army in Lebanon. The officials said the EFP weapon was first tested there.
This isn't even he said/she said journalism ... AP is pushing 'they said' with absolutely no corraborating or conflicting sources.
The New York Times notes that the anonymity and timing provide fuel for skeptics:
The officials were repeatedly pressed on why they insisted on anonymity in such an important matter affecting the security of American and Iraqi troops. A senior United States military official gave a partial answer, saying that without anonymity, a senior Defense Department analyst who participated in the briefing could not have contributed.
The officials also were defensive about the timing of disclosing such incriminating evidence, since they had known about it as early as 2004. They said E.F.P. attacks had nearly doubled in 2006 compared with the previous year and a half.
The BBC reports only that "Tehran has denied any involvement," and the New York Times says the same about the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad. Journalists were banned from using cameras or any recording devices during the briefing, but the BBC has official photos in a slideshow.
Also, see: