Friday, May 23, 2008

Pakistan May Turn Over U.S. 'Spies' to Iran

From ABC News:

Iran Claims Jundullah Militants, Led by Abdel Malik Regi, Are 'Spies' for the CIA

In another sign of growing tensions with the United States, Pakistan is threatening to turn over to Iran six members of a tribal militant group Iran claims are "spies" for the CIA.

The group, Jundullah, operates in Baluchistan on both sides of the border between Iran and Pakistan and has carried out a number of violent attacks on Iranian army facilities and officers inside the country.

The CIA has denied any direct ties with the group, but U.S. officials tell ABC News U.S. intelligence officers frequently meet and advise Jundullah leaders, and current and former intelligence officers are working to prevent the men from being sent to Iran.

Read more ....

News From Other Sources:
CIA Protects Al-Qaeda Group From Extradition -- Infowars
CIA Protects Al-Qaeda Group From Extradition -- Black Listed News
Iran Busts CIA-Backed Terror Group -- Real Truth Online
Is the U.S. backing pro-Shah terrorism against Iran? -- Daily Kos

My Comment: Because Iran has a religious and ethnic hard line altitude towards many of it's minority ethnic groups, I am not surprised that many of these same groups are now organizing themselves to use violence against Tehran. This naturally becomes a tempting target for outsiders like the U.S. or Sunni extremists to take advantage of. While many pundits believe that the U.S. is actively involved in fermenting trouble in Iran, I hold the opinion that for a long time .... with no help from the U.S. .... anger and rebellion has been fermenting in the outlying regions.

I would not be surprised if foreign intelligence services are using Iranian dissidents to gather information .... from Iran's nuke program, its oil industry and capabilities, and political stability .... but to actively bring weapons into the country, I am skeptical of this idea. If there is a serious attempt to undermine the regime in Tehran by supporting "liberation" movements with weapons .... I fail to see how they can hide it. These secrets are never kept for any period of time.

The one thing that I have noticed in the story, is that while it appears that the U.S. is actively trying to prevent this extradition, the Pakistanis do not care. For a country that receives billions in U.S. aid .... my impression is that there is something definitely wrong.

No comments: