SHAME ON THE COLLABORATORS!

Shame on the Iraqis who accept OCCUPATION and who are prepared to sell their country for a few thousand dollars!


'Sunni leaders fears Iran is preparing to invade Iraq'
Liz Sly

July 22, 2008 6:10 PM
Chicago Tribune
(MCT)

BAGHDAD - A prominent Sunni tribal leader allied to the American military told Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday that he fears Iran could take over Iraq and plunge the region into fresh turmoil if U.S. troops leave too soon.
Sheik Ahmad Abu Risha, who heads the Sunni Awakening movement, delivered the warning at a meeting with Obama in the desert province of Anbar, the epicenter of al-Qaida in Iraq activities until the Sunni tribes switched sides in early 2007.

''Iran is preparing to invade Iraq'' as soon as U.S. troops pull out, Abu Risha said in a telephone interview from his home.

''I told Senator Obama personally, right after you leave, Iran will reach the borders of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. We don't have the power to stop them.''

These were the strongest words of caution Obama heard on his two-day visit to Iraq regarding his troop withdrawal plan, which has received a warm reception from the Iraqi government.

U.S. military commanders haven't raised the possibility of an Iranian invasion in their assessments of the situation in Iraq. But Persian Iran and Arab Iraq share ancient rivalries and most recently fought a grueling 8-year war in the 1980s.

For Iraq's disenfranchised Sunni minority, fear of the rising influence of Shiite Iran over Iraq's Shiite-led government borders on paranoia.

Abu Risha said he is not averse to pulling out U.S. troops by 2010, as Obama has proposed, but only if the U.S. first supplies Iraq the military might to deter the Iranian threat.

''If the tanks, heavy weaponry, planes and technology of the U.S. Army are given to us, then this time will be enough,'' he said.

Obama did not offer any response to the request for military hardware, said Abu Risha, whose slain brother led the Sunni revolt that defeated al-Qaida and helped turn the tide of the war.
''Americans never reply right away,'' he said. ''They always have to review and analyze before giving you an answer.''

For his part, Obama acknowledged the concerns about Iran.
''Some of the tribal leaders, as well as the local governor in Anbar, expressed concerns about a potential precipitous drawdown of U.S. troops, which is why I haven't proposed a precipitous drawdown,'' Obama said. ''What I've proposed is a steady, deliberate drawdown over the course of 16 months. ...

''The U.S. military can't be there forever. And so it's going to be important for the parties themselves, the Iraqi people, to make sure that they are dealing with these underlying tensions and concerns.''
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