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Title: Why Iran Believes ISIS is a U.S. Creation
Source:
Time (yeah, it still exists in dental offices)
URL Source: http://time.com/3720081/isis-iran-us-creation/
Published: Feb 26, 2015
Author: Kay Armin Serjoie
Post Date: 2015-03-01 08:09:05 by Tooconservative
Keywords: None
Views: 17158
Comments: 91
Iran has taken a lead role in defending the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and strengthening the Baghdad government in the war against the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria (ISIS). But that doesn’t mean Iran views the United States as an ally in that war, even if they share a common enemy in ISIS. Abdullah Ganji, the managing-director of Javan newspaper, which is believed to closely reflect the views of the government and the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guards, says that U.S. support for ISIS is in fact a way of ensuring Israel’s security and disrupting the Muslim world in the cause of advancing Western interests. “We believe that the West has been influential in the creation of ISIS for a number of reasons. First to engage Muslims against each other, to waste their energy and in this way Israel’s security would be guaranteed or at least enhanced,” says Ganji. “Secondly, an ugly, violent and homicidal face of Islam is presented to the world. And third, to create an inconvenience for Iran.” Iran’s relations with the U.S. have been strained since the 1979 Islamic Revolution ousted the U.S.-backed Shah of Iran and negotiations are currently underway between Iran and Western nations, including the U.S., to ensure the Islamic Republic does not produce nuclear weapons. Ganji went on to say that much of ISIS — its propaganda, structure and weapons — were all the work of the West. “A group that claims to be an Islamic one and has no sensitivity towards occupied Muslim lands in Palestine but is bent on killing Muslims as its first priority, it’s not a movement with roots in Islamic history. Not only many of its weapons but its methods of operation, its propaganda methods and many of its internal structures are Western, that’s why we are distrustful of the roots of ISIS,” he says. “As the Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Khamenei] also said, [the coalition forces] have on a number of times even made weapon drops for ISIS. How is it that they have laser-guided precision munitions and bombs but drop weapons for the wrong people? And not only once but at least a number of times,” he says, referring to incidents when weapons dropped from U.S. aircraft landed in ISIS-controlled areas rather than the intended Kurdish-controlled areas. “Iran cannot cooperate with the United States against ISIS because it doesn’t trust America, it doesn’t believe in their honesty in combatting ISIS. Iran can’t trust the U.S. to begin something and to continue to the end. It acts patronizingly and will change its path whenever it feels it is justified. We are also worried that the U.S. is using ISIS as a pretext to return its troops into Iraq,” Ganji says. “I believe that the U.S. prefers a weak ISIS that cannot be a major threat but will still cause inconvenience for Iran, Iraq and Syria and generally what they themselves called the Shiite crescent.” Poster Comment: I've read other reports that, across the Mideast, it is the majority view that ISIS is an American creation. Here, the Iranians make those accusations their official position.
"We believe that the West has been influential in the creation of ISIS"
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Begin Trace Mode for Comment # 88.
#1. To: TooConservative (#0)
The USA stirs up trouble, everywhere. There is no good reason for the USA to be militariy or politically involved half-way around the world meddling in the affairs of others.
I wouldn't go that far. We have always had foreign interests to protect going back to the early decades of the Republic. But that is no excuse to turn the Mideast in a shootout at the OK Corral. The neocons often talk about it in terms of being like the Wild West, like they can just go in and shoot things up and it will all turn out so well ("greeted as liberators", Arab Spring, etc.). They actually discuss it among themselves in these terms. Appalling. And it is an obvious subtext in the warmongering rhetoric we hear from a number of these GOP candidates as they try to win favor (and hundreds of millions) in the Sheldon Adelson Primary. I posted this in response to another poster who was discussing why Shi'a Iran hadn't gotten involved in driving Sunni ISIS from Shi'a Iraq, despite Iran's proximity to Iraq.
I explained it on the other thread. 1. The Persians know how far they can push their Arab Shia allies. 2. Persians wait for Arabs to finish killing each other. No matter Islamic affiliations. Iran also had (probably still has) dealings with Sunni terror and insurgent groups. 2007-2009 when Maliki showed some independence from Tehran we started seeing EFP IED attacks on Iraqi security forces in Sunni areas. Interesting that the devices used were Iranian made. It's a lot more untidy over there than many want to admit. Iran wants uninterrupted rat lines to Hezbollah. The rise of ISIL challenges their freedom of maneuver and interior lines. Of course they will blame the US.
I was watching FNC tonight and they mentioned that, after cancelling the leaked plan to go on offensive against Mosul, now the Iraqis have announced that they will be making a preliminary attack on Tikrit, Saddam's hometown and a hotbed of Ba'athist revanchists and former top members of Saddam's regime (his wife's relatives). And who is joining these Shi'a militias and the 20,000+ Iraqi army soldiers? Iran's Quds artillery units. So Iran is going to have boots (or at least artillery) on the ground in assaulting Tikrit. Which leaves me wondering if the plan might be to leave Tikrit in the same shape as Vlad Putin left the Chechen capital, Grozny. IOW, a lifeless moonscape, flattened like a pancake. And in other news of our ongoing glorious victories, you may recall how we were going to train and arm the "secular Syrian rebels" (actually another bunch of Sunni suspect militia), and we had one specific militia with thousands of fighters signed up for arms and training. Well, they suddenly disbanded today and completely disappeared. And al-Nusra swooped in a scooped up the (old) weapons we had already provided them with. It's just one happy victory after the next for Commander Barky and his faithful butler, Lurch. I can only hope that Bibi takes a moment to congratulate Barky and Lurch on these triumphs of their policy during his speech tomorrow. Some withering sarcasm would be epic.
Quds artillery is interesting. The Quds have been in Iraq since the late 80s providing training and assistance with a now and then assassination squad. But rolling out their own artillery is something I have not heard of before.
Reported on Greta's FNC show tonight. One of the old generals (or colonels) was talking about it. And how America was disinvited from participating or planning for the operation. Which is why they needed the support of Iranian artillery. Of course, Iraq's government and military have to be eager to show they can defend the country and do something on their own. Tikrit, the hometown of Saddam and so many of Saddam's top officials, is naturally a hotbed of Sunni/Ba'athist revanchism. Baghdad may have decided to make an example of Tikrit and what Sunni towns who cooperate with ISIS can expect to happen to them. And they won't want us close by to observe their actions too closely.
I agree. Sounds like they want to do some "extra-LOAC" activities here. Which means they won't want US UAS nor manned air support there to record the event. Goes back to a past discussion we had...How the Iraqi Shia government is still seeing the Baath party boogeyman. They still believe the phantom Baath is behind all evils.
It isn't irrational. Many of the commanders who left the Iraqi military suddenly in a lurch and led to the huge ISIS advance and the loss of Mosul were the remaining Ba'athist elements of the military. Baghdad was in a bad place with this situation. The Shi'a officers thought the Sunni Ba'athists were getting special treatment for promotions. But the Ba'athists were also the most professionalized and capable leaders (and also the most directly connected to Saddam's regime). This is a major element of why I constantly mention Ba'athist revanchism. I think Baghdad will be taking a Iraq-love-it-or-leave-it attitude. Being the Mideast, this will work out in practice as Iraq-love-it-or-leave-it-or-we'll-kill-throw-you-and-your-family-into-a-woodchipper. Or do the equivalent using artillery and bombs. The recruiting of the Shi'a militia to work alongside the Iraqi army is not a good sign for the ISIS rebels but especially for the Sunni towns they are occupying which mostly welcomed them in. I wouldn't be surprised if Tikrit is a flat smoking pile of rubble when they get done with it.
Could be. However, the Shia know that just about every one of their Shia shrines will now get special VBIED attention. If they level Tikrit, the Sunni (not ISIL) will level the Shia 'holy' places. And that is exactly what ISIL wants to happen. They want what is left of the Sunni fence sitters to willingly come over to them.
Yahoo is reporting: Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani, who has helped coordinate Baghdad's counter-attacks against Islamic State since it seized much of northern Iraq in June, was overseeing at least part of the operation, witnesses told Reuters. His presence on the frontline highlights neighboring Iran's influence over the Shi'ite fighters who have been key to containing the militants in Iraq. In contrast the U.S.-led air coalition which has been attacking Islamic State across Iraq and Syria has not yet played a role in Tikrit, the Pentagon said on Monday, perhaps in part because of the high-level Iranian presence. Iraqi military officials said security forces backed by the Shi'ite militia known as Hashid Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation) units were advancing gradually, their progress slowed by roadside bombs and snipers. Unfortunately, I don't see any better photos than these but that last one might interest you. Looks like a tank-sized gun but I'm not seeing very many shells at hand. I think the Iraqis only got the Shi'a militias onboard by agreeing to let the Iranian commander run most of the show, or at least the parts the Shi'a militia are involved in. Which is why they knew better than to invite us. Apparently, they are trying to encircle Tikrit and some outlying villages and seal them off so no ISIS fighters escape from there.
Better?
Thanks. Yes Iraqi regulars. We trained them on the M198 howitzer.
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#2. To: Pridie.Nones (#1)
There is no good reason for the USA to be militariy or politically involved half-way around the world meddling in the affairs of others.
#10. To: TooConservative, tomder55 (#2)
I posted this in response to another poster who was discussing why Shi'a Iran hadn't gotten involved in driving Sunni ISIS from Shi'a Iraq, despite Iran's proximity to Iraq.
#36. To: redleghunter, SOSO, tomder55, sneakypete (#10)
#38. To: TooConservative (#36)
#40. To: redleghunter (#38)
But rolling out their own artillery is something I have not heard of before.
#41. To: TooConservative (#40)
Reported on Greta's FNC show tonight. One of the old generals (or colonels) was talking about it. And how America was disinvited from participating or planning for the operation. Which is why they needed the support of Iranian artillery.
#42. To: redleghunter (#41)
How the Iraqi Shia government is still seeing the Baath party boogeyman. They still believe the phantom Baath is behind all evils.
#44. To: TooConservative (#42)
I wouldn't be surprised if Tikrit is a flat smoking pile of rubble when they get done with it.
#50. To: redleghunter (#44)
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Thousands of Iraqi soldiers and Shi'ite militiamen sought to seal off Islamic State fighters in Tikrit and nearby towns on Tuesday, the second day of Iraq's biggest offensive yet against a stronghold of the radical Sunni Islamist militants. 
The cannon looks like Iraqi regulars to me but the pic is just too small to be sure.
#85. To: TooConservative, CZ82 (#50)
(Edited)
The cannon looks like Iraqi regulars to me but the pic is just too small to be sure.
#88. To: nolu chan (#85)
Replies to Comment # 88.
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