“Militarily, We Should Hold On To Them”
Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the top commander of day-to-day operations in Iraq, said he will recommend that five Iranians captured by U.S. forces in January not be released when their case is reviewed this month, a move that could further increase tensions between Washington and Tehran.
“Militarily, we should hold on to them,” he told reporters and editors at The Washington Post on Wednesday.
The status of the captured Iranians is so sensitive that it is the only case of foreign detainees in Iraq that is being reviewed all the way up to the White House. Odierno’s view reflects a deepening anger at both the State Department and the Pentagon over Iran’s failure to cooperate in the stabilization of Iraq, even after the first bilateral public dialogue between U.S. and Iranian diplomats in 28 years was launched in March in Baghdad.
Since then, according to U.S. officials, Tehran has continued to arm, train and support Iraqi militants who aim to destabilize Iraq and target U.S. troops. “Why should we reward bad behavior?” said another senior U.S. official involved in Iraq policy.
The United States says the five Iranians, nicknamed the Irbil 5 because they were seized during a U.S. raid on Iran’s Liaison Office in the northern Kurdish city of Irbil, are members of the Quds Force, an elite wing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps charged with its foreign clandestine operations.
Iran and Iraq say the men were credentialed officials working out of a diplomatic facility recognized by the Kurdish government and about to be recognized by Baghdad. Two more senior Iranian officials who were the targets of the U.S. raid escaped.
U.S. troops last month arrested a sixth Iranian, Mahmudi Farhadi, in northern Iraq and said he also was part of the Quds Force network. Odierno said he is a “significant” player who is suspected of providing weapons, money and training to Iraqi militants since 2005. But Iran and Iraq say he was part of a visiting business delegation traveling with the knowledge of local and national Iraqi governments.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told editors and reporters at The Post this week that Iraq is demanding that the Iranians be freed. “The five were not part of the Quds Force,” he said. Iran threatened to close the border after Farhadi’s capture, and Talabani wrote U.S. Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker charging that the United States had “ignored our authority.” Talabani added: “I ask for his immediate release in order to maintain healthy relations.”
In Iraq, detainees under U.S. control come up for review every six months. The United States also is holding two other Iranians detained in two separate earlier incidents.
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Listening to Talibani’s Arab logic is like listening to ghetto logic. And they kill each other everyday.
October 5th, 2007 at 2:25 amLt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno thank you.
There should be no release, deals, or anything else for any of Iran’s “business men” who have been facilitating the killing our men. The only possible deal would be if they want to trade them for Amadin-ftard’s head on a silver platter.
October 5th, 2007 at 6:02 amTHey should be released…just make sure that an unfortunate incident (IED) happens to hit their vehicle as they leave the area. It could happen
October 5th, 2007 at 7:19 amThe General says we should hold on to them and that is good enough for me. Anyone who disagree’s should STFU and let the Generals continue to run and win this war!
October 5th, 2007 at 7:20 amSend the bastards to
Gitmo.
October 5th, 2007 at 8:06 amGood for you. It doesn’t require a military tactic, however - common sense is justification enough for holding them.
We should hold them until we get tired of their incarceration.
October 5th, 2007 at 8:07 amWouldn’t it be a miracle if a bunch of Israeli soldiers in the hands of hamas majically were released on the same day that the Iranian Quds were let go…could happen
October 5th, 2007 at 8:22 amGitmo!
October 5th, 2007 at 8:52 amHow many days did Iran hold those Americans back in the 80’s for?
October 5th, 2007 at 8:53 amHold on to them ???
October 5th, 2007 at 8:53 amString the Fuckers up by their Ballz
Nothing like putting out some bait & waiting for a kill
Got a better idea. Do to them what was done to Bill Buckley and Col Higgins.
October 5th, 2007 at 10:10 amMaybe give them a choice between imprisonment or eating some nice, juicy, unholy ham. Oh wait, that’s the kind of inhumane treatment the media gets pissed off about.
October 5th, 2007 at 10:34 amOK, why would you release bad guys? And, who cares if the Iranian border is closed? That would stop the flow of bad guys and ammo.
October 5th, 2007 at 10:39 amI’m just waiting for the Dems to denounce the detainment on the Senate floor!
October 5th, 2007 at 11:54 amThey should be release. Immediately after they placed in front of a firing squad.
October 5th, 2007 at 12:20 pmOk Persian scum…tell us what you know or it’s Bacon sandwiches morning, noon, and night!..and wash it down w/Manischewitz!
October 5th, 2007 at 1:26 pmgitmo hell…send them to allah…
October 5th, 2007 at 2:03 pm