The Enemy of My Enemy

From today's on-line edition of Air Force Times: "Iran-made weapons are in Afghanistan."

That assertion was made at press briefing in Washington, by Joint Chiefs Chairman General Peter Pace. General Pace told reporters that coalition forces in Afghanistan have intercepted "Iranian-made munitions meant for Taliban militants" over the past month.

Pace's comments provided the first indication that Iran is broadening its support of terrorists fighting U.S. forces in the Middle East. Earlier this year, senior U.S. military officers displayed Iranian weapons that were captured in Iraq. American forces have also detained several members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Qods Force that were operating in that country. Qods Force personnel are believed to be the source for advanced improvised explosive devices that have killed more than 170 American troops in Iraq.

The weapons found in Afghanistan included mortars and C-4 plastic explosive. General Pace said it is "unclear" which Iranian elements may have provided the weapons. You may recall that Pace (and other senior DoD leaders) were criticized when they originally fingered Iran for assisting terrorists in Iraq. Some in the MSM suggested that the support came from "rogue elements" within the Iranian regime.

Let's cut to the chase. When the smoke clears and the Pentagon releases more definitive information, we'll discover that the Qods Force is behind the Afghan support effort as well. With its extensive ties to terrorist and insurgent groups, the Qods Force is most assuredly Tehran's vehicle for funneling arms to the Taliban.

The irony, of course, is that shia-controlled Iran is a traditional enemy of the Taliban. But in this case, the enemy of Tehran's enemy serves as a convenient proxy, so religious differences can be put aside (at least for now), in the common interest of killing more Americans.

All the more reason to hang on to the "Irbil 5," and round up even more Iranian agents operating in Iraq, and Afghanistan as well.