@@ Admiral Alan West: British troops could be victims of Iran's nuclear stand-off with West @@
Arash
January 14, 2006
British troops could be victims of Iran's nuclear stand-off with West
By Kim Sengupta
Iran could take retribution against British troops in Iraq if the British government
continues with its leading role in the campaign against the country's nuclear
programme, senior defence sources have warned.
The Tehran regime is known to have immense influence with the Shia militias in Iraq
and has been accused of directing their violent campaigns.
America and Britain have, in the past, charged Iran with involvement in the supply of
explosives used to kill British soldiers in Iraq, although a recent review of
intelligence has failed to show a direct link between the bombings and the Tehran
regime.
The Iranians are also suspected of involvement in "death squads" responsible for the
torture and murder of suspected insurgents.
Iraq's Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr, has been accused of links with the death
squads - charges he denies. Mr. Jabr is a former commander of the Shia BADR Brigade,
which was formed in exile in Iran during Saddam's regime.
In Basra, the capital of the British-controlled south of the country, the police
force has been heavily infiltrated by the BADR Brigade. They are believed to have
been responsible for the abduction of two British special forces soldiers who had to
be rescued with the storming of a police station.
A defence source said: "It is logistically eminently possible for Iran to take action
against British and other coalition forces in Iraq. They have a lot of control over
Shia forces and it is a leverage they are prepared to use, as we have seen already.
"It does not even have to be military action for the Iranians to retaliate. We may
well see an upping of destabilization efforts if Britain is seen to be leading calls
for sanctions. This is something we recognize and we are preparing to meet if
necessary."
Meanwhile, another senior military figure, Admiral Sir Alan West
(http://tinyurl.com/9szsw), the head of the Royal Navy, warned that any military
action against Iran could have "horrendous consequences" and "must be avoided".
Admiral Alan West (http://tinyurl.com/bs7bq) said even air strikes - let alone a
full-scale invasion - would be extremely problematic and could have "disastrous"
results. Admiral West was the first Western military commander to express his
disquiet over the possibility of an armed intervention in the growing crisis over
Iran's nuclear programme. It came amid reports that the U.S. and Israel may bomb the
nuclear facilities if Tehran refuses to back down from its belligerent stance over
its nuclear testing, despite international anger.
Admiral Alan West said: "The consequence of military action would be quite
horrendous. We should not do it, the matter should be resolved some other way".
Talking about a previous example - an Israeli strike at Iraq's nuclear plant at
Osirak in 1981, Admiral West said: "That was just one target. With Iran you have got
to get every single one. There will awful repercussions if that does not happen".
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/article338501.ece