PETRAEUS BLAMES IRAN FOR AIDING IRAQI "SPECIAL GROUPS"

Dana Milbank has a perceptive column in today's The Washington Post on the testimony yesterday of Gen. Petraeus.

"You can't tell the enemy in Iraq anymore without a scorecard.

"When the United States invaded Iraq five years ago, the enemy was Saddam Hussein and his Baathists. When Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ryan C. Crocker, respectively the U.S. commander and the ambassador to Iraq, came to testify to Congress last year, the enemy was al-Qaeda in Iraq. Yesterday, Petraeus and Crocker returned to Congress to report that the enemy had changed once again.

"We are now fighting Iran-backed "special groups" in Iraq.

""Unchecked, the special groups pose the greatest long-term threat to the viability of a democratic Iraq," Petraeus testified."

Who are these special groups? Surely Petraeus means the various Shiite Militias like the Badr Brigade allied with Prime Minister Maliki or the Sadrists under Moqtada al Sadr. But why call Shiite militias "special groups"?

Maybe to confuse the issue of Iranian aid for their Shiite co-religionists. Perhaps to give the false impression that Iran is backing Qaeda groups as well. Or other Sunni insurgents. All of which is pure bull.

But the Senators questioning Petraeus seem to have been taken up with all this talk about "special groups."

Reports Dana Milbank:

"The special talk caught the attention of Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.). "Is it fair to say that the Iranian-backed special groups in Iraq are responsible for the murder of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqi soldiers and civilians?" Lieberman asked.
"It certainly is," Petraeus assured him.

"Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) asked about the violence in Basra. Petraeus blamed the 107mm rockets of the "special groups." Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) asked about the Mahdi Army. Petraeus mentioned the "special groups." Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) asked about Iran. Crocker invoked the "special groups." Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) also got the "special group" rate from the witnesses."

So all the talk about "special groups" allowed Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker, abetted by that war-monger, Joe Lieberman, to put all the blame on the lack of political and military progress in Iraq on Iran and its support for those "special groups." When you are losing battle, find a bogeyman to pin the blame. IRAN.

IRAN & U.S. AGREE TO CONTAIN SUNNI INSURGENTS

Juan Cole at Informed Comment makes an important observation about the generic reports in today's newspapers about the meeting of Ryan Crocker, the American ambassador to Iraq and his counterpart from Iran. See for example the report of the meeting by Megan Greenwell in The Washington Post today.

Juan Cole observes that Damien McElroy of The Telegraph reports that there were also, and most importantly, discussions about Iran and the United States forming a joint task force to resist the Sunni insurgent groups, including Al Qaeda in Iraq. Writes McElroy:

"Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshyar Zebari, saw signs of apparent progress at the session.

"We have reached an agreement, for the first time, to work together on the security sub-committee for the benefit of the people of Iraq," he said.

"The two countries did agree to form a security committee, with Iraq, to focus on containing Sunni insurgents. The committee would concentrate on the threat from groups such as al-Qa'eda in Iraq, officials said, but not those militia groups the US accuses Iran of funding and training."

Comments Juan Cole:

"If the US is allying with Iran against the Sunni insurgents and al-Qaeda, this is a very major development and much more important than some carping over Shiite militias. (My guess is that 98% of American troops killed in Iraq have been killed by Sunni Arab guerrillas). If the report is true and has legs, it will send Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal ballistic. The Sunni Arab states do not like "al-Qaeda" in Iraq, but they are much more afraid of Iran than of the Iraqi Sunni Arabs who are fighting against US military occupation."

U.S. ACCUSES IRAN OF SUPPLYING WEAPONS BUT OFFERS LITTLE EVIDENCE

The U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, met with his Iranian counterpart in Baghdad today, and the talks were heated according to the BBC report.

The U.S. accuses Iran of providing military support for Shiite militias in Iraq. Iran is a predominantly Shiite nation. So is Iraq. Some of the holiest Shiite mosques and shrines are in Iraq. It is common for Iranians to travel to Iraq on religious pilgrimages. The U.S. military is suspicious of these close religious ties between Iranian and Iraqi Shiites, and claims the Iranian muslims are supplying arms to their Iraqi correligionists.

Another source of irritation between the U.S. and Iran is the taking of captives. The U.S. detained five Iranians in Erbil this past January. It has refused to bring charges against them. Reports say that VP Cheney prevailed on Bush not to let them go. Up till last month, the U.S. held them incommunicado, no phone calls allowed, no access to legal counsel, no visits from Iranian diplomats.

In response Iran has taken at least three Iranian-Americans into custody, including the 67-year old scholar, Haleh Esfandiari. See my reports here, here and here.

I believe it is real and hopeful progress that the U.S. ambassador sits down and dialogs with the Iranian ambassador. The more dialog the better. The more contact, the better. In this regard, I commend Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for saying last night at the CNN/You Tube debate that he would personally sit down with Iranian leaders and try to work out differences. This was in contrast to Hillary Clinton who refused to agree to personal discussions and diplomacy.

The U.S. repeats its claim that it has evidence of Iran supplying arms and training to the Shiite militias, but it has never presented any credible evidence. It shows arms and missiles that it claims were manufactured in Iran, but the markings are at best ambivalent.

Writes the BBC:

"Iranian ambassador Hassan Kazemi-Qomi reportedly brushed aside the US allegations, saying that the US had no proof of its claims.

"From Tehran, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammed Ali Hosseini said the US would be better off finding ways to get out of the Iraq crisis. "These declarations aim to deceive public opinion which is troubled by the US's warlike policy," he said, according to French news agency AFP."

I agree. Until the U.S. military and ambassador Ryan Crocker and the entire Bush establishment present solid and credible evidence that Iran as a government is providing arms and training to its Iraqi neighbors, the U.S. charges cannot be taken as more than spin and propaganda. The more the U.S. military fails in its political and military objectives, the more apt it is to try to pin the blame for the Iraqi fiasco on Iran.