Published: July 18, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor
Crossfire War - Islamic Axis - Syria - Iran Meeting - Damascus
By Willard Payne
Crossfire War - Tehran - Baghdad - Damascus Watch - West Asia Theatre: Tehran - Damascus - Ankara - Baghdad - Riyadh - Amman - San'a/London - Washington; US Offensive in Baghdad Continues in Attempt to Cut Off Endless Flow of Fighters and Weapons Into Capital - Islamic Axis Meeting in Damascus - Countdown Planning
Night Watch: FADHIL - The constant fighting in Baghdad, Basra and now with increased attacks in northern Iraq - Kirkuk, indicate Tehran had planned all along to create heavy fighting in several fronts simultaneously this year, the Countdown year for war with the West.
A close reading of the news will tell you the fronts and theatres are; the Balkans-Lebanon-Iraq-Israel-Egypt-Persian Gulf- South Caucasus -Afghanistan-India/Pakistan. It is only in the South Caucasus where Tehran does not have the initiative. In all the other theatres the allies can only respond defensively to attacks and offensives Tehran conducts through other groups.
As a brief discussion of the latest fighting AP reports in Baghdad, just hundreds of yards north of the Green Zone, a car bomb exploded near the Iranian Embassy which killed Shi'ites in the area. The 82nd Airborne, part of the Pentagon's desperate attempt to cut off the endless flow of fighters and weapons into the city, came under fire from gunmen who had positioned themselves in an Islamic bank building. [ASHARQALAWSAT]
In just one of many indications of the confusion within the Pentagon, as it searches for a dependable Iraqi unit to work with, Abu Azzam, who leads 2,300 men including groups who have fought the U.S., is now patrolling with American forces. This shell shock decision-making has created more enemies than it defeated. Tehran, in the meantime, began to extend the chaos north into the Kurdish regions earlier this year and Washington's offensive has helped Tehran's chaos creation strategy. Iraq Major General Jamal Tahir, Kirkuk Police Chief observed the U.S. military operations in Baqouba forced al-Qaeda (Tehran) to move north. "Some of them came to Kirkuk because they have loyalists here and they started to carry out terrorist acts."
As a signal this year's regional war is about to intensify Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to arrive in Damascus Thursday, leading a high level delegation that includes Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki. It is a one day visit at the invitation of Syria President Bashar al-Assad, who has just been re-elected for another seven year term of office. The head of Syria's Foreign Ministry's Strategic Center Samir al-Taqi said the reason for the visit is due to the "extremely sensitive" regional status. "With such a perspective of the regional status, constant consultations and full harmony between Syria and Iran in order to confront effectively the challenges and threats is a bare necessity."
A combined high command between the two countries' military has been in operation since last year's announcement in June with the defense-security agreement signed in Tehran between Iran-Syria. It was later that month Palestinian militants began last year's war with the raid in Gaza that captured an Israeli soldier. [IRNA]
This year's war began on May 20 when the suicide unit Fatah al-Islam began fighting the Lebanon Army at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp city near Tripoli and close to the Syrian border, a prelude to Syria's invasion. The results of tomorrow's meeting should be felt before this month is over. Damascus will be invading a Lebanon with a weakened army and European UNIFIL units in the south which want to avoid combat at all costs. UNIFIL watched Hezbollah re-arm and now they will watch Syria invade removing one of the West's last contacts in the region, Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Night Watch Information Service
http://www.crossfirewar.com
7/18/2007
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