Iran boosts Qods shock troops in Venezuela

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**Frazzled**

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/apr/21/iran-boosts-qods-shock-troops-in-venezuela/

Iran boosts Qods shock troops in VenezuelaPentagon predicts U.S. clash with Islamist paramilitaryFont Size -+PrintEmailCommentTweet this!Yahoo! BuzzShareArticleComments (23)Click-2-ListenMore Security Stories
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By Bill Gertz

Iran is increasing its paramilitary Qods force operatives in Venezuela while covertly continuing supplies of weapons and explosives to Taliban and other insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq, according to the Pentagon's first report to Congress on Tehran's military.

The report on Iranian military power provides new details on the group known formally as the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the Islamist shock troops deployed around the world to advance Iranian interests. The unit is aligned with terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Israel, North Africa and Latin America, and the report warns that U.S. forces are likely to battle the Iranian paramilitaries in the future.

The Qods force "maintains operational capabilities around the world," the report says, adding that "it is well established in the Middle East and North Africa and recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela."

"If U.S. involvement in conflict in these regions deepens, contact with the IRGC-QF, directly or through extremist groups it supports, will be more frequent and consequential," the report says.

The report provides the first warning in an official U.S. government report about Iranian paramilitary activities in the Western Hemisphere. It also highlights links between Iran and the anti-U.S. government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, who has been accused of backing Marxist terrorists in Colombia.

• Click here to view the report. (PDF)

The report gives no details on the activities of the Iranians in Venezuela and Latin America. Iranian-backed terrorists have conducted few attacks in the region. However, U.S. intelligence officials say Qods operatives are developing networks of terrorists in the region who could be called to attack the United States in the event of a conflict over Iran's nuclear program.

Qods force support for extremists includes providing arms, funding and paramilitary training and is not constrained by Islamist ideology. "Many of the groups it supports do not share, and sometimes openly oppose, Iranian revolutionary principles, but Iran supports them because they share common interests or enemies," the report says.

Qods force commandos are posted in Iranian embassies, charities and religious and cultural institutions that support Shi'ite Muslims. While providing some humanitarian support, Qods forces also engage in "paramilitary operations to support extremists and destabilize unfriendly regimes," the report says.

The report links Qods force operatives and the larger IRGC to some of the deadliest terrorist attacks of the past 30 years: the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut in 1983, the bombing of a Jewish center in Argentina in 1994, the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia and many insurgent attacks in Iraq since 2003

**ShumaGorath**

I wonder how the EU will deal with that bit of information.

**Frazzled**

I am sure a stern letter is in order.

**ShumaGorath**

Frazzled wrote:I am sure a stern letter is in order.

As a whole they've become steadily less tolerant of Irans BS, and if these accusations can be proven or corroborated it could do a good bit to ensure their continued support on sanctions. With the EU more heavily on board china would probably stop being a tool about it as well.

**Frazzled**

Today Shuma is a glass half full kind of guy. Alas, Frazzled remains his usual bitter, cynical self.

**dogma**

Well, Quds isn't a paramilitary organization, its a large special forces group that specializes in the training and support of paramilitary organizations.

It also isn't composed of shock troops, but armed military advisers. There are a lot of logistical parallels between Qud and our own support operations in Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The presence of this force is the driving fact behind the financial sanction of individual Revolutionary Guard members.

Also, the thread title is misleading; seeming to indicate a sudden surge of support. The report states that "...recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela.", which suggest a more slowly growing relationship. The only news here is that the DoD released information to the public.

**ShumaGorath**

dogma wrote:Well, Quds isn't a paramilitary organization, its a large special forces group that specializes in the training and support of paramilitary organizations.

It also isn't composed of shock troops, but armed military advisers. There are a lot of logistical parallels between Qud and our own support operations in Iraq, and Afghanistan.

The presence of this force is the driving fact behind the financial sanction of individual Revolutionary Guard members.

Also, the thread title is misleading; seeming to indicate a sudden surge of support. The report states that "...recent years have witnessed an increased presence in Latin America, particularly Venezuela.", which suggest a more slowly growing relationship. The only news here is that the DoD released information to the public.

Thats significant news though, especially when seen through the lens of foreign relations with other democratic regimes (UN) or regimes vulnerable to foreign popular sentiment (china).

**Frazzled**

This is on the heels of the DOD leaked public letter. Pressure is clearly trying to be brought to bear.

**dogma**

ShumaGorath wrote:
Thats significant news though, especially when seen through the lens of foreign relations with other democratic regimes (UN) or regimes vulnerable to foreign popular sentiment (china).

The EU already supports our efforts to sanction Iran.

China isn't vulnerable to foreign popular sentiment, not when the issue enters into national sovereignty. Particularly the national sovereignty of their primary natural gas supplier. That said, China is supportive of sanctions, just not the sort of all-encompassing sanctions that we want.

The Russians could be convinced to be more supportive, if we could prove that the Quds were operating in the Caucasus, but the report in question does attempt to address that question. Russia may also be interested in Iranian involvement with Venezuela, but that doesn't mean they would necessarily be opposed to it.

Frazzled wrote:This is on the heels of the DOD leaked public letter. Pressure is clearly trying to be brought to bear.

A letter can't be both leaked, and public. If you meant public letter, then that is significant as public information if rarely released with fanfare. If you meant leaked, then the DoD 'leaks' letters all the time through various sponsored websites. Usually these letters are inconsequential, and their distribution is equal parts information distribution, and information control. The thinking being that insofar as people go to controlled information outlets they will be less willing to try and circumvent information controls.

**Owain**

Can we please get to krumpin' before they get their hands on weapons of mass destruction?

**ShumaGorath**

Owain wrote:Can we please get to krumpin' before they get their hands on weapons of mass destruction?

The issue there is that a war in iran would destabilize the region. The reason we don't want them having nukes is..? Because it would destabilize the region! Its sort of a no win situation with military intervention, hence the intense efforts to implement tougher sanctions.

**dogma**

Lets also not pretend that a war with Iran is militarily feasible.

Iraq was a shattered state, 2/3s of which were not fully controlled by the central government.

Iran is 4 times larger, strongly nationalist, possessed of a large military that specializes in asymmetric warfare, and has strong ties to ideologically compatible movements abroad.

Its a worst case scenario for regime change.

**ShumaGorath**

dogma wrote:Lets also not pretend that a war with Iran is militarily feasible.

Iraq was a shattered state, 2/3s of which were not fully controlled by the central government.

Iran is 4 times larger, strongly nationalist, possessed of a large military that specializes in asymmetric warfare, and has strong ties to ideologically compatible movements abroad.

Its a worst case scenario for regime change.

Meh. We could easily fly enough f-22s in there to disable their ability to project militarily into their neighbors, likely within one or two days. The issue, as you stated is their ability to act assymetrically against western security and interests. Their standing military is all but irrelevant in the face of a U.S. strike designed to disable it. An occupation would be exceptionally difficult, but that is rarely what is talked about when military measures are discussed.

**dogma**

ShumaGorath wrote:
Meh. We could easily fly enough f-22s in there to disable their ability to project militarily into their neighbors, likely within one or two days. The issue, as you stated is their ability to act assymetrically against western security and interests. Their standing military is all but irrelevant in the face of a U.S. strike designed to disable it. An occupation would be exceptionally difficult, but that is rarely what is talked about when military measures are discussed.

That's fine, but as you said, the Iranian conventional military is irrelevant. If we can walk over it, then it isn't a security issue; particularly given our presence in Iraq, and the absence of any concerted Iranian project to imperialize the Middle East.

The things we care about, asymmetric forces and nuclear capability, are mutually problematic. Any assault on the Iranian nuclear program is likely to provoke an increase in their asymmetric activity, and would not guarantee any significant damage to the nuclear program.

I mean, we could take out their strategic launch capability, but that only increases the likelihood that Iran will look for alternative means of delivery, which is exactly what we don't want. Moreover, it isn't as though we're going to continue bombing every strategic missile that the Iranians decide to build. If we're really talking about removing a threat to security, we're talking about some sort of sustained aerial bombardment, followed by a ground assault. Even Israel knows this, and that's why they've been so gung ho about pushing the 'religious fanatic' angle whenever they speak of Iran to foreign governments. They want to develop a coalition to bring down the Islamic Republic.