US to blame Iran for attacks in Iraq despite decline in use of bombs linked to Iran

Raw Story
Tuesday December 18, 2007

A Pentagon report to be released Tuesday will accuse Iran of continuing to funnel weapons and technology to fighters in neighboring Iraq even as it cites lower violence overall, US media said.

Fewer fatalities among US and Iraqi troops and wider installation of basic services such as electricity are to be among the positives cited by the US military assessment of Iraq, the Wall Street Journal said citing officials familiar with the report to be given to Congress.

But even with the positives, the report lays attacks in Iraq at the foot of Iranian elements — despite the fact that the use of explosively formed penetrators weapons (EFPs) are down. Some EFPs found in Iraq over the past year have carried Iranian signatures, according to media reports and intelligence officials who spoke to RAW STORY in recent months.

“Military officials say they are trying to reconcile the drop in EFP attacks with other evidence suggesting that Iran is continuing other clandestine activities inside Iraq,” the Journal says. “The Iranian question is an increasingly central concern for U.S. military commanders and senior policy makers who are trying to decide whether to broaden the Bush administration’s tentative diplomatic outreach to Tehran in the hope of winning further Iranian cooperation in stabilizing Iraq.”

The report “also will reiterate US accusations that Iran is sending sophisticated explosives, rockets and mortars into Iraq,” the newspaper said.

“It’s not arguing that Iran’s behavior is getting worse, but it’s also not arguing that Iran’s behavior is getting better,” the report quoted one US officer as saying.

The assessment was also to highlight political instability and the difficulties faced by the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

US commanders have in the past accused Iran of providing covert support to Iraq extremists, but amid a sharp reduction in violence in recent weeks they have said the alleged support appears to have ended.

Iran has consistently denied providing Iraqi militias with funding or training.

A report on foreign fighters in Iraq from last month also reveals that few Iranians are crossing the border between the two countries to fight US troops. Of more than 700 foreign fighters in the country, just 11 came from Iran, according to data captured at an insurgent camp, the New York Times, reported in November.

Bush seeks another 46 Billion Dollars

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071022/ap_on_go_pr_wh/bush_war_spending

WASHINGTON – President Bush asked Congress on Monday for another $46 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and finance other national security needs. “We must provide our troops with the help and support they need to get the job done,” Bush said.

The figure brings to $196.4 billion the total requested by the administration for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere for the budget year that started Oct. 1. It includes $189.3 billion for the Defense Department, $6.9 billion for the State Department and $200 million for other agencies.

To date, Congress has already provided more than $455 billion for the Iraq war, with stepped-up military operations running about $10 billion a month. The war has claimed the lives of more than 3,830 members of the U.S. military and more than 73,000 Iraqi civilians.

Bush made his request in the Roosevelt Room after meeting in the Oval Office with leaders of veterans service organizations, a fallen Marine’s family and military personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The White House originally asked for $141.7 billion for the Pentagon to prosecute the Iraq and Afghanistan missions and asked for $5.3 billion more in July. The latest request includes $42.3 billion more for the Pentagon — already revealed in summary last month — and is accompanied by a modified State Department request bringing that agency’s total for the 2008 budget year to almost $7 billion.

Bush said any member of Congress who wants to see success in Iraq, and see U.S. troops return home, should strongly support the request.

“I know some in Congress are against the war and are seeking ways to demonstrate that opposition,” Bush said. “I recognize their position and they should make their views heard. But they ought to make sure our troops have what it takes to succeed. Our men and women on the front lines should not be caught the middle of partisan disagreements in Washington, D.C.”

Democrats were not swayed.

“We’ve been fighting for America’s priorities while the president continues investing only in his failed war strategy — and wants us to come up with another $200 billion and just sign off on it?” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. “President Bush should not expect Congress to rubber stamp his latest supplemental request. We’re not going to do that.”

The State Department is requesting $550 million to combat drug trafficking in Mexico and Central America, $375 million for the West Bank and Gaza and $239 million for diplomatic costs in Iraq.

Top House lawmakers have already announced that they do not plan to act on Bush’s request until next year, though they anticipate providing interim funds when completing a separate defense funding bill this fall. Bush asked lawmakers to approve the request before the holidays.

“We must provide our troops with the help and support they need to get the job done,” Bush said. “Parts of this war are complicated, but one part is not, and that is America should do what it takes to support our troops and protect our people.”

Congress already has approved more than $5 billion for new vehicles whose V-shaped undercarriages provide much better protection against mines and roadside bombs. It’s likely that Congress will quickly grant $11 billion more to deliver more than 7,000 of the vehicles.

The delays in submitting the remaining war funding request were in part due to unease among congressional Republicans about receiving it during the veto override battle involving a popular bill reauthorizing a children’s health insurance program.

The request also includes $724 million for U.N. peacekeeping efforts in the war-torn Darfur region in Sudan, $106 million in fuel oil or comparable assistance to North Korea as a reward for the rogue nation’s promises to cease its efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Another $350 million would go to fight famine in Africa.

For the Pentagon, the latest request includes:

_$1 billion for military construction projects, including improvements at airfields and other U.S. bases in Iraq.

_$1 billion to expand the Iraqi security forces.

_$1 billion to train National Guard units.

All told, the $189.3 billion Pentagon request for 2008 includes:

_$77 billion for military operations and maintenance.

_$30.5 billion for to protect U.S. forces from roadside bombs, snipers, and other threats.

_$46.5 billion to repair and replace equipment that has been damaged or destroyed in combat or worn out in harsh conditions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

___

Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann contributed to this report in Washington.

Bush warns of World War III

AFP
Wednesday, October 17, 2007

WASHINGTON (AFP) – US President George W. Bush said Wednesday that he had warned world leaders they must prevent Iran from getting nuclear weapons “if you’re interested in avoiding World War III.”

“We’ve got a leader in Iran who has announced that he wants to destroy Israel,” Bush said at a White House press conference after Russia cautioned against military action against Tehran’s supect atomic program.

“So I’ve told people that, if you’re interested in avoiding World War III, it seems like you ought to be interested in preventing them from having the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon,” said Bush.