Kurdish MP: 30000 Iranian Soldiers And Military Experts Are Fighting In Iraq

Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran’s Quds Force, poses with Kurdish fighters in Iraq in this undated photo. (photo by Twitter/@Mojtaba_Fathi)

Rudaw: Kurdish MP: 30,000 Iranian soldiers, military experts fighting in Iraq

ERBIL, Iraqi Kurdistan- At least 30,000 Iranian soldiers and military experts are in Iraq and involved in the fight against ISIS, a Kurdish lawmaker in the Iraqi parliament said Sunday, calling it a “threat to Iraq’s sovereignty.”

“At least 30,000 soldiers and military experts from the Islamic Republic of Iran are fighting ISIS militants in Iraq,” Shakhawan Abdullah, head of the parliamentary security and defense committee, told Rudaw.

Shiite Iran has been actively involved in neighbor Iraq’s security issues, since ISIS overran large parts of the country with the aim of establishing a Sunni-Islamic caliphate.


Update #1: Iran accused of sending 30,000 troops to fight in Iraq -- Al Jazeera

WNU Editor: Iran is denying these reports .... but Qasem Soleimani (head of the elite Iranian Quds force) is there, and if he is there one would have to conclude that there are also a large number of Iranian "military volunteers and supporters".

U.S. Raises Concerns On Iranian Deployment Of 'Heavy Weaponry' Into Iraq

Reuters: U.S., eyeing Iranian arms in Iraq, warns on sectarian tensions

(Reuters) - The United States is concerned about how heavy Iranian weaponry might be used inside Iraq, including as Iran-backed militia help the offensive to retake the Iraqi city of Tikrit from Islamic State militants, a U.S. official said on Tuesday.

Reuters has previously reported on the alleged presence of Iranian rockets inside Iraq. U.S. officials declined to comment on specific Iranian weaponry after The New York Times reported it might include Fajr-5 artillery rockets and Fateh-110 missiles.

Still, the U.S. official said the potential use of heavy Iranian weaponry would raise questions about the risk of civilian casualties. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, noted extensive U.S. efforts to ensure precision in its strikes.

More News On The U.S. Raising Concerns On Iranian Deployment Of 'Heavy Weaponry' Into Iraq

U.S. ‘concerned’ if heavy Iranian arms used in Iraq -- Al Arabiya
Iran deployed missiles to fight Daesh in Iraq, US says -- Gulf News/New York Times Service
Iran Deploys Rocket, Missile Batteries in Iraq -- Washington Free Beacon
Shiite militias: Iran is our main source of weapons -- Rudaw
Iran gathers power in Iraq as US further sidelined -- Mohammed A. Salih, Al Monitor

Iran Is Aiding Iraq In Its Attack On Tikrit. U.S. Support Is Nowhere Seen

Bloomberg: Iraq Starts Attack on Tikrit With Iranian Help, No U.S. Strikes

(Bloomberg) -- Iraq is deploying 27,000 troops to retake the city of Tikrit from Islamic State, in a mission that will test the military’s ability to stage major offensives against the group before trying to capture its stronghold in Mosul.

Shiite militias are backing up police and army soldiers, according to state-run al-Iraqiyah television. Qassem Suleimani, the head of Iran’s elite Quds Force, arrived two days ago to “review and advise” Iraqi field commanders, the Fars news agency reported on Monday.

WNU Editor: Apparently the U.S. were surprised when the Iraqis announced their offensive to recapture Tikrit .... Iraq’s Attack Against ISIS Catches U.S. ‘By Surprise’ (Daily Beast), and as a result have declared that they will steer clear of this battle .... U.S. Steers Clear of Tikrit, Cites Iran Role in Support of Iraqis (WSJ). U.S. fears on Iran's growing influence in iraq are becoming more and more evident .... U.S. fears Iran military influence growing in Iraq (USA Today)

More News On Iran's Growing Role In Iraq

Iran Backs Iraq Military Campaign to Reclaim Tikrit From Islamic State -- Wall Street Journal
Iranian General Again in Iraq for Tikrit Offensive -- Defense News
Iraqi Parliament Asks Iranian General to Coordinate Joint Assault on ISIL -- Sputnik
Iranian role in Iraq offensive to recapture Tikrit? -- BBC
Tikrit Offensive: Where is the US? -- VOA
Iraq's assault on Isis sparks fears of new atrocities in the Sunni triangle -- The Guardian

Update: The following analysis paints a grim picture on who is leading the Iraq fight to retake Tikrit .... The Sunni-killers leading the assault on Tikrit are bad news for Iraq (Quartz).

A Look At How Iran's Military Chiefs Coordinate The War Against The Islamic State In Iraq

Head of the Badr Organisation Hadi al-Amiri (R) speaks with officers on the outskirts of Muqdadiyah in Diyala province, north of Baghdad in this January 23, 2015 file photo. Credit: REUTERS/Stringer/Files

Reuters: Special Report: How Iran's military chiefs operate in Iraq

(Reuters) - The face stares out from multiple billboards in central Baghdad, a grey-haired general casting a watchful eye across the Iraqi capital. This military commander is not Iraqi, though. He's Iranian.

The posters are a recent arrival, reflecting the influence Iran now wields in Baghdad.

Iraq is a mainly Arab country. Its citizens, Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims alike, have long mistrusted Iran, the Persian nation to the east. But as Baghdad struggles to fight the Sunni extremist group Islamic State, many Shi'ite Iraqis now look to Iran, a Shi'ite theocracy, as their main ally.

WNU Editor: It looks like it all comes down to religion ... and if that is the case .... the Iranian - Iraqi Shiite alliance is going to be rock solid regardless what the U.S., neighboring Arab states, or even the Islamic State may do.

Iran To Train Iraqi Officers In Its Military Academies

A commander said Iran is ready to begin training Iraqi forces for the fight against terrorism. Al Bawaba

Jacob Siegel, Daily Beast: Iran Is Ready to Take Over Iraq’s Troops

Tehran says it will start training Iraqi military officers, which could clash with the U.S. mission to train Iraq’s military. How will the jostling for influence shake out?

WNU Editor: I have been keeping this story for the past three days .... Russian media (ITAR-TASS) was the first place where I read about it. Iranian and Arabic media sources have been talking about it since Monday. But (according to the above Daily Beast post) it is apparently only now that the Pentagon is hearing about it .... but they still need to confirm the story. Sighhh .... it makes you wonder if the U.S. has a clue on what is happening there. As to what is my take on this development .... I am not surprised and my money is on the Iranians that the Iraqis are now going to get their training from. The U.S. comes and goes .... but Iran and Iraq are neighbors, and the leaders in Iraq know that at the end of the day it will be Iran who will be there for them .... the U.S. not so much.

More News On Reports That Iran Is Going To Train Iraq's Officer Corps

Iran ready to train Iraqi officers in its military academies -- ITAR-TASS
Iran ready to train Iraq army officers: commander -- Press TV (Iran)
Iran in new deal to boost Iraq army -- Al Arabiya
Iran ready to train Iraqi officers, commander says -- Al Bawaba

Iranian-Backed Militias Grow In Influence In Iraq

Eli Lake, Bloomberg: Inside Iraq's Iranian-Backed Militias

WNU Editor: These Iranian-backed militias will only guarantee more Sunni recruits for the Islamic State.

More News On The Growing Role Of Iran In Iraq

Iran's Militias Are Taking Over Iraq's Army -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg
Armed with U.S. weapons, infamous militia beating ISIS -- CBS
Unchecked militia with murky past fights Islamic State with US weapons: Report -- Yahoo News
Concerns Deepen that U.S. Allowing Iranian Takeover of Iraq -- The Tower
The price of relying on Tehran-backed militias -- Iranian.com
Obama's Pentagon pick worried about Iranian influence in Iraq -- The Hill

How Much As Iran Helped Iraq In Its War Against The Islamic State

Scott Peterson, CSM: How much has Iran helped Iraq against Islamic State? The answer is political.

Some Iraqi Shiite officials credit Iran with saving Baghdad from Islamic State forces, deriding US military support as ineffective or slow. But Sunnis say Iranian assistance comes at a high price.

WNU Editor: The Iranians are not doing this for free .... they are rushing in to make Iraq their satellite state, and their allies will be the Shiite community. Not surprising .... the rest of Iraq is not happy with this "arrangement".

Update: Voices against this Iranian help are increasing .... Iraq paid $10 billion for rusty Iranian arms -- Abdulrahman al-Rashed, Al Arabiya

Iraqi MP And Militia Commander Credit Iran For Saving Baghdad From Falling To The Islamic State

Secretary General of Iraq’s Badr Organization Hadi al-Ameri. Trend

AFP: Iran, top general saved Baghdad from falling to IS: Iraq MP

WNU Editor: Welcome to the messy world of Middle Eastern politics. I blame Iran and their ally .... former Iraqi PM Maliki .... for causing this mess in the first place. To be given credit for saving Baghdad .... you cannot get more ridiculous than that.

Iran's Militias Are Growing In Influence In Iraq

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim men from the Iranian-backed militia Kataib Hezbollah hold the party's flags as they walk along a street painted in the colours of the Israeli flag during a parade marking the annual Quds Day, or Jerusalem Day, on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Baghdad in this July 25, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani/Files

Special Report: The Fighters Of Iraq Who Answer To Iran -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Among the thousands of militia fighters who flocked to northern Iraq to battle militant group Islamic State over the summer was Qais al-Khazali.

Like the fighters, Khazali wore green camouflage. But he also sported a shoulder-strapped pistol and sunglasses and was flanked by armed bodyguards. When he was not on the battlefield, the 40-year-old Iraqi donned the robes and white turban of a cleric.

Khazali is the head of a militia called Asaib Ahl al-Haq that is backed by Iran. Thanks to his position he is one of the most feared and respected militia leaders in Iraq, and one of Iran's most important representatives in the country.

Read more ....

My Comment: In the eyes of the Sunni community it is groups like this that makes them fearful of Iran and it's Shiite allies in Iraq. In short .... and this is the long term problem that Iraq must face .... as long as this sectarian divide exists, Iraq can never be a unified and peaceful country. Never.

Iran Reasserts Its Infleunce In Iraq

Iran's Shadow War in Iraq -- Paul D. Shinkman, US News and World Report

The U.S.-backed fight against Sunni extremists is doing the work of Iran in Baghdad.

When Army Gen. Lloyd Austin left Iraq in 2011, as the last U.S. combat troops withdrew themselves from almost a decade of war, he offered a somber warning to the local forces who would stay behind.

Iraq was then under the leadership of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite Muslim. Austin observed that the country’s leaders "don't see an enormous threat from Iran at this point,” despite what he considered a "stream of lethal accelerants" flowing across the border from Iran into Iraq.

Along with the continued threat posed by al-Qaida, Austin warned about three “Iran-backed” Shiite extremist groups that had sought out American targets during the Iraq War. Kataib Hezbollah – believed to be linked to militant Lebanese political party Hezbollah – Asaib Ahl al-Haq and the Promised Day Brigades would create problems in Iraq if left unchecked and continually allowed to receive “a sharp increase” in arms coming from Iran.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This Israeli post is in agreement with the above analysis .... Reports Show Iran Reasserting Its Influence in Iraq (The Tower)

Are Iranian Military Forces Fighting In Iraq?

Roadside bombs planted by the Islamic State group are making it difficult for Kurdish forces to advance [Reuters]

Iran 'Sent Soldiers To Fight In Iraq' -- Al Jazeera

Hundreds of Iranian troops crossed border to join battle against Islamic State group, sources tell Al Jazeera.

Hundreds of Iranian soldiers have taken part in a joint operation inside Iraq with Kurdish forces to retake a town held by the Islamic State group, security sources have told Al Jazeera.

It is believed to be the first time that Iranian troops have been directly involved in the fighting against the Sunni rebel group group on this scale.

Hundreds of soldiers crossed the border on Friday in a joint operation with Kurdish Peshmerga forces to take back Jalawla in Diyala province, an official Kurdish source who asked not to be identified told Al Jazeera.

He said the Iranian forces retreated back across the border early on Saturday.

Read more ....

Update: Iran denies military involvement in Iraq -- Daily Times

My Comment: Iran has consistently denied that their military forces are fighting in Iraq. But when there is smoke, there is a fire .... and in the case of Iraq there has been too many reports of Iranian forces on the ground helping and in some cases fighting alongside Iraqi forces against ISIS militants.

Iran's Elite Guards Are Now Waging War Against The Islamic State In Iraq

Smoke rises during clashes between Iraqi security forces and militants of the Islamic State, formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Ramadi, July 26, 2014. Credit: Reuters/Osama Al-dulaimi

Iran's Elite Guards Fighting In Iraq To Push Back Islamic State -- Reuters

(Reuters) - In early July, hundreds of mourners gathered for the funeral of Kamal Shirkhani in Lavasan, a small town northeast of the Iranian capital Tehran. The crowd carried the coffin past posters which showed Shirkhani in the green uniform of the elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and identified him as a colonel.

Shirkhani did not die in a battle inside Iran. He was killed nearly a hundred miles away from the Iranian border in a mortar attack by the militants of the Islamic State “while carrying out his mission to defend” a revered Shiite shrine in the city of Samarra, according to a report on Basij Press, a news site affiliated with the Basij militia which is overseen by the Revolutionary Guards.

Shirkhani’s death deep inside Iraq shows that Iran has committed boots on the ground to defend Iraqi territory.

Read more ....

My Comment: This news should not surprise anyone. We have known for the past month that Iranian commanders were on front line in Iraq's fight against Suuni militants .... so why not their soldiers. The question that still needs to be answered is .... how many Iranian soldiers are on the ground in Iraq, and how deep of an involvement is Iran willing to go.