Ace of Spades HQ

July 24, 2008

Sabotage Detonates Explosives in Military Convoy, Killing 15 in ~~Iraq~~ Iran
— Ace

Lovely base you 'ave 'ere, Guv'ner. Would be a shame if something were t' 'appen to it.

Details are only now starting to reach the outside world, and it looks increasingly like sabotage was responsible for devastating a military convoy as it travelled through Khavarshahar. The company responsible for moving the equipment, LTK, is owned by the Revolutionary Guards and is suspected of being involved in shipping arms to Lebanons Hizbollah Shia Muslim militia, which is trained and funded by Tehran.
...
But what really concerns Irans leadership is that the incident is the latest in a long line of unexplained explosions.
In May, officials blamed British and American agents for an explosion at a mosque in Shiraz that had just finished staging an exhibition of Irans latest military hardware. Last year more than a dozen Iranian engineers were killed while trying to fit a chemical warhead to a missile in Syria.
A few months earlier, a train reported to be carrying military supplies to Syria was derailed by another mysterious explosion in northern Turkey. It is highly unlikely that these incidents are unrelated, which has only served to deepen the mood of fear and suspicion gripping the Revolutionary Guards leadership.
Tensions have been running high in Tehran since Seymour Hersh, the respected American investigative journalist, revealed in the New Yorker magazine last month that President George W Bush had authorised up to $400 million to fund a major escalation in covert operations to destabilise the regime.
Having contended with Irans attempts to undermine the Iraqi government over the past five years, British and American military commanders are more than happy to undertake covert operations in Iran, and there have been unconfirmed reports that ~~special forces~~ "militants" are operating undercover in the country.

Corrected that "Special Forces" mention for ya. Here's some other suggested terminology:

SEALs = Amphibious insurgents

Delta Force = Delta Clerics

CIA Paramilitary Death Squads = disaffected youths

The notion that we might be conducting devastating stealth raids in Iran fills me with shame, despair, and raging red boners.

Posted by: Ace at 03:04 PM | Comments (73)
Post contains 364 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Shwing! Yeah, baby, yeah!

Posted by: eman at July 24, 2008 03:08 PM (bXWSG)

2 This kind of hope and change I can believe in.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at July 24, 2008 03:09 PM (uhncL)

3 Now we are attacking Iranian wedding convoys. Have we no shame?

Posted by: eman at July 24, 2008 03:13 PM (bXWSG)

4 Yeah I have little faith the CIA could cobble together anything remotely approaching a successful covert raid these days.

Posted by: Gallant at July 24, 2008 03:13 PM (0+Ggj)

5 A long line of unexplained explosions is just one of the many signs that you may have pissed someone off.

Posted by: Liberal Nitemare at July 24, 2008 03:14 PM (1NkzY)

6 You're filled with raging red boners? NTTAWWT.

Posted by: Sean M. at July 24, 2008 03:18 PM (e6v7s)

7 My view of the CIA is similar to the tag line for the new X-Files movie, "I want to believe." In this case I want to believe that they are capable and competent enough to pull something like this off, but deep in my heart, I sort of doubt it.

Posted by: 4thGenerationBuck at July 24, 2008 03:18 PM (AtjNL)

8 Unfortunately, never underestimate the ability of Islamic military brigades to screw up good safety practices around ordnance. Probably just your typical "Its Allah's Will" work accidents. When everything is controlled by Allah or the Great Satan, there's little incentive to take control yourself.

Posted by: j.pickens at July 24, 2008 03:24 PM (U6aUB)

"The notion that we might be conducting devastating stealth raids in Iran fills me with shame, despair, and raging red boners."

But mostly raging red boners.

Posted by: Uncle Jefe at July 24, 2008 03:25 PM (p8IOE)

10 I'm not so sure it's ALL attributed to the US doing it. Petraeus' counterinsurgency doctrine has been reaching out to the target population. Is something coming home to roost in Iran? Let's hope this is the case, undermining Iran from the inside.

Besides, accepting the Iranian's claim at face value validates Seymour Hersh's 4 year 'exclusive' that the US is preparing an imminent attack on Iran. At this point, we really don't know who is doing what in Iran. But we can have a little smirk on our faces that it ain't just a coincidence

Posted by: liontooth at July 24, 2008 03:25 PM (n3pxb)

11 I am going to need a pair of nose hair tweezers if you expect me to shed a tear over this news.

Posted by: AndrewsDad at July 24, 2008 03:26 PM (C2//T)

12 Yeah, Baby!!

Posted by: Max Power at July 24, 2008 03:27 PM (q177U)

13 Hey look Ahmed, someone tampered with the bombs bring the fellas and lets check it out!

Posted by: Canerican at July 24, 2008 03:29 PM (GEVSM)

14 Ace: Call me sometime.

Posted by: The Crimson Crowbar at July 24, 2008 03:49 PM (K98gK)

Ejaculations: 4 and counting.

I hope the US is involved in sabotage and such, but note that the weapons were enroute to Syria and Lebanon. I have to wonder if the Mossad is more responsible than the US for these work accidents. If so, good on them.

Posted by: Hollowpoint at July 24, 2008 03:51 PM (rf03a)

16 We can have a sword fight.

Posted by: The Crimson Crowbar at July 24, 2008 03:55 PM (K98gK)

17 Something radical like putting panties on Iranian heads I could see the CIA having a hand in it. Then the State Department running to the new york times to tattle their little asses off. Mossad, now thats another story. I wonder how many sleepless nights the clever Jews has given Ahmanutjob.

Posted by: RWB at July 24, 2008 03:56 PM (WGj+E)

Anyone seen Marcus Lutrell lately?

If any part of the government is involved with these 'accidents' I strongly suspect it's the Pentagon, not the CIA.

Posted by: ticticboom at July 24, 2008 03:57 PM (Lh+w/)

Hey! They aren't militants!

They're "activists."

Posted by: TallDave at July 24, 2008 03:59 PM (Tcmkh)

If any part of the government is involved with these 'accidents' I strongly suspect it's the Pentagon, not the CIA.

No, I really think secret superagent Valerie Plame set at least 3 of those bombs. No doubt her brave, truth-telling husband carried the detonators.

Posted by: TallDave at July 24, 2008 04:01 PM (Tcmkh)

21 "Amphibious insurgents"? I think you mean "French youth of unidentified ethnic origin"...

Posted by: Yeff at July 24, 2008 04:04 PM (XIWj5)

22 a mosque in Shiraz that had just finished staging an exhibition of Irans latest military hardware. How shocking! Iran's Revolutionary Guards using a Mosque to house military equipment! Allah has apparently taken note of the contradiction implicit between these actions and the sober respect His people have always shown for the Laws of Land Warfare. Or it could have been International Jewry, ,,,,,again. (Instant karma is probably not an option for the locals.)

Posted by: Potosi Joel at July 24, 2008 04:05 PM (TPRbZ)

You missed one, Ace.

Seymour Hersh = Terrorist-loving, Anti-American Traitorous Scumbag.

Posted by: wiserbud at July 24, 2008 04:21 PM (EW49d)

24 I don't know if the US government is involved but Iran is fighting their own insurgency. They started an insurgency in Iraqi, now it has spilled over to their own country.

Posted by: jdun at July 24, 2008 04:40 PM (cVyBC)

25 Would be nice if one of their Photoshopped nukes "accidentally" cooks off. Hope it "hare-lips everybody on Bear Creek!!"

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at July 24, 2008 04:55 PM (np0pW)

26 WTF, I totally missed the whole deal with that asshole Hersh from the New Yorker giving away what should be classified info. What is wrong with these people? On the other hand it warms my heart to know we have enough good intel to do some damage in Iran. Well done, boys.

Posted by: mare at July 24, 2008 04:56 PM (xMkst)

27 CIA? Fat chance. After their recent record, I doubt they could blowup a balloon.

Mossad? More likely.

Dumbass jihadis (posing as a military outfit) who can't handle weapons? Even more likely.

But, I'm betting on an unholy alliance between the Red Cross, assorted NGOs and some journalists.

Posted by: Che Pizza at July 24, 2008 05:01 PM (RLBRw)

28 Seymour Hersch is a scumbag America hating military stomping putz. There's no lie and no code of ethics he won't violate to deliver his lies and try to regain the glory days of Mai Lai.

Posted by: Christopher Taylor at July 24, 2008 05:02 PM (0+Ggj)

Heh.

"Extraterritorial" works both ways, mullahs.

Posted by: Michael Rittenhouse at July 24, 2008 05:11 PM (lTUFB)

I read Hersch's article...

Here's the spin - "Late last year, Congress agreed to a request from President Bust to fund a major escalation of covert operations against Iran... In other words, some members of the Democratic leadership-Congress has been under Democratic control since the 2006 election-were willing, in secret, to go along with the Administration in expanding cover activities directed at Irat, while the Party's presumptive candidate for President, Barack Obama, has said that he favors direct talks and diplomacy"

So - even the Dem's think this is a good idea.... but good ol' Hersch - then goes on to focus on the people in the minority - those who say it's a bad idea.

WTF?

Posted by: Lokki at July 24, 2008 05:25 PM (gE65f)

4 'splosions for $400 million? Gotta be the guvmint.

Posted by: tim at July 24, 2008 05:41 PM (AdvE1)

32 I think the best thing America could do is maintain a presence in Iraq. Ship over Ipods by the bushel. Have soldiers hand them out like candy corn at Grandma's Thanksgiving.

We won't need to worry about military action in Iran.

Posted by: Justin at July 24, 2008 06:22 PM (iH1PP)

Tensions have been running high in Tehran since Seymour Hersh, the respected American investigative journalist biggest piece of shit at POS Central, the NYT, revealed in the New Yorker magazine last month that President George W Bush had authorised up to $400 million to fund a major escalation in covert operations to destabilise the regime.

FTFY

Posted by: sherlock at July 24, 2008 06:25 PM (ojW85)

I can't believe there are people who would express joy at the deaths of their fellow human beings. When our leader, teacher, healer Barrack Obama becomes President, these kinds of hateful expressions will dissolve as humanity evolves into the fullness of it's loving potential.

Only 4 months remain until the healing of the human psyche, and the healing of Gaia begins.

Peace and Love.

Posted by: Child of Light at July 24, 2008 06:33 PM (p8IOE)

35 Shit happens sometimes...

Posted by: Purple Avenger at July 24, 2008 07:19 PM (uhncL)

36 Tensions have been running high in Tehran since Seymour Hersh, the respected traitorous douchebag American investigative journalist

Normally when I hear his name, I'll add on about another dozen epithets, but you know, there's something to be said for brevity.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at July 24, 2008 07:22 PM (Ds4I5)

It's not the CIA running the demolition show. The only thing the CIA can demolish is their credibility.

I had a neighbor who was in the Navy and he used to talk about some of his demolition missions in the 50's. I don't even think the SEALS were yet established. He then went was on some pretty intense missions. One story that he likes to tell in particular was dynamiting a train an ammunition train in N. Korea.

Anyhow, he was a really cool dude to talk story with.

Posted by: Artesian at July 24, 2008 07:30 PM (644Ii)

38 Formerly one-way street...Meet the other way.

Posted by: monkeyfan at July 24, 2008 07:41 PM (cEE8N)

Khavarshahar ..... wasn't that the doctor in the "The Man with Two Brains?"

Oh, sorry, that was Dr. Hfuhruhurr. My bad.

Posted by: km at July 24, 2008 07:49 PM (mrk0R)

40 I'm not so sure it's ALL attributed to the US doing it.

I'm betting on a bunch of SAS squaddies from Perfidious Albion.

Posted by: IllTemperedCur at July 24, 2008 07:50 PM (Ds4I5)

41 Mossad gnomes.

Posted by: Stinky Esposito at July 24, 2008 08:01 PM (wIgfF)

42 Iranians + military hardware = BOOM!

Posted by: Chas at July 24, 2008 08:12 PM (oh3iZ)

Seymour Hersh, the respected American investigative journalist

Nice of the Telegraph to throw a little satire into the article.

Posted by: John F Not Kerry at July 24, 2008 08:25 PM (HF2US)

44 I can't believe a British newspaper is actually calling a terrorist a "terrorist."

What's this world coming to?

Posted by: CornFedBeauty at July 24, 2008 08:35 PM (Z07/i)

45 It was us. See! We were behind this all along. We're patriotic. Really! Don't you read the New York Times? They'll tell you we're patriots.

Posted by: Howeird Dean and The DNC at July 24, 2008 08:56 PM (GSjxr)

46 We 'forgot' to tell Ahmadinejad not to get them wet.

Lil' oversight, there. Oh well.

Posted by: Special Forces at July 24, 2008 08:57 PM (DbybK)

One thing's for sure- it wasn't us. Nope.

Not a chance.

We weren't even in the vicinity.

Posted by: Anti-Iranian Squirrels at July 24, 2008 09:24 PM (6AcsH)

lol at anti iranian squirrels

What about some off the books US agency/group? Doesn't that stuff still go on?

Posted by: Max Power at July 24, 2008 09:54 PM (ZdsL4)

49 My personal guess is Predator UAVs.

Posted by: Trimegistus at July 24, 2008 10:06 PM (7HBUF)

50 That would be Predator airbone IEDs, Trimeg...

Posted by: Vercingetorix at July 24, 2008 10:39 PM (QaVQ6)

51 airbone = airborne, but I actually like the typo better. airboner IEDs, heh. I said boner.

Posted by: Vercingetorix at July 24, 2008 10:40 PM (QaVQ6)

52 Its our squirrel spies finally getting to some targets.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at July 24, 2008 10:42 PM (uhncL)

53 maybe its them dodge pickups they're using for maneuvers, or it could be work-related accidents like in gaza. or, you know maybe the rooskies have a new anti-explosive device, see, and they are creating market demand, like the mob selling fire insurance. but the CIA, nahh

Posted by: billypaintbrush at July 24, 2008 10:50 PM (/tNpo)

54 We're back in business, bay-bee!

Posted by: Mort Ician & Grave Digger at July 24, 2008 11:25 PM (sI5Ho)

55 Sy Hersh isn't the only head that belongs in a noose - whoever the traitorous bastard is who leaked the info to him in the first place deserves to be tried for treason. Takes two to tango.

Posted by: J.J. Sefton at July 25, 2008 01:56 AM (np0pW)

56 Sy isn't at the Times, sherlock. He's at the New Yorker.

Posted by: someone at July 25, 2008 02:44 AM (2z2WN)

I feel a Surge in my mojo...

Well, whoever/whatever is responsible, I say let's have some more! If we didn't do it, we should have. Any patriotic American with a modicum of imagination could do a lot of damage with 400 million to spend.

Posted by: Reactionary at July 25, 2008 03:15 AM (H7yZC)

58 It wasn't the CIA, they didn't leak it to a newspaper. (OK, maybe they did, but since no one reads that crap anymore, we'll never know.)

Posted by: TomJW at July 25, 2008 03:52 AM (xRCpL)

59 Don't forget - there's been a home-grown insurgency by the dissatisfied elements of Iranian society that has been bubbling, turning to a sloooow boil.

The countless strikes, cuts in service workers salaries, mandatory community service, and other 'outreach' efforts from Tehran don't play well in the sticks (i.e. +20KM from the capital.

Iran used to be the most liberal ME country, but, the Revolt changed that. My thought is the dissatisfaction element is far stronger outside the strongholds, and, is growing.

Its high time we take the mullahs seriously - they've been at war with us since 1979.

Posted by: Fred Zeppelin at July 25, 2008 04:17 AM (Qs2v/)

60 "Accidents 'appen, y'know. Things burn."
-- Luigi Fercotti

Posted by: mojo at July 25, 2008 06:08 AM (g1cNf)

61 The best guess is certainly homegrown dissidents, but you wouldn't want to rule out us picking up the tab.

Posted by: spongeworthy at July 25, 2008 06:31 AM (a00go)

62 "We can make the trains run on time, however, sometimes they explode". "The great Satan did this". "I found proof of this in the mensroom of a ghey bar"...."I had to bugger a little boy into confessing this".

Posted by: Mullahhutch1200 at July 25, 2008 07:54 AM (4BZX0)

63 If any part of the government is involved with these 'accidents' I strongly suspect it's the Pentagon, not the CIA.

I agree. I don't think the CIA could find it's ass with both hands.

But I like ratcheting up the Revolutionary Guard's paranoia. It won't be too much longer before they - assuming they haven't already started - go on a mole hunt.

Much hilarity will ensue, as will the inevitable purge. Which will only stoke the fires of paranoia...

Posted by: I R A Darth Aggie at July 25, 2008 08:02 AM (1hM1d)

64 ...or it could just be one of those highly trained Revolutionary Guard stunt drivers in a Dodge Hemi, - with a high center of gravity...

Posted by: Fritz at July 25, 2008 08:23 AM (zAvxs)

65 Hogan!!!!!

Posted by: Col. Klink at July 25, 2008 10:00 AM (B9rRW)

66 If I had to bet, I'd say it was Mossad rather than our guys, but who knows? It could just be incompetent Iranian soldiers. I'm pretty sure that the North Koreans blew themselves up testing a nuke a few years back.

Posted by: Christopher Taylor at July 25, 2008 10:34 AM (0+Ggj)

Problems with the 911 call just made things worse.

Revolutionary Guard: "There's been a huge explosion!"

911: "What is your location?"

RG: "Khava -- uh, Carver -- Ka -- aw c'mon --

Other RG: "Gimme that you bozo. Kha. Va. Shar. Har. Har."

911: "Yeah, har har har. Freakin' kids." click

Posted by: Bob Hawkins at July 25, 2008 10:35 AM (eZ0vq)

68 Special Forces=Green Beret ODA
Special Operations= SEALs, Delta Force, Ranger Bat, Civil Affairs etc.

Posted by: DM at July 25, 2008 11:43 AM (YfN+E)

F'ing Beautiful!

Posted by: The Rogue Jew at July 25, 2008 11:45 AM (Z//iK)

America, FK YEAH!

Posted by: bonhomme at July 25, 2008 11:53 AM (iaV9O)

71 Thinking more incompetance than sabatoge. They do have good counterintel and a better target for sabatoge would be their gasoline refining capacity. A few valves turned at the wrong time or small explosives would destroy their refinery capacity and have a devestating impact on the economy. The government would be forced to spend their oil money importing highly expensive gasoline.

Posted by: Johnnie at July 26, 2008 05:45 AM (pYPoZ)

72 YouTube Video Converter helps you download YouTube video to your computer and convert YouTube Video to MP4, 3GP and other videos, such as convert YouTube to avi, DivX, XviD, rm, rmvb, MOV, MPEG, MPEG4 AVC, H.264 and WMV, VOB; VCD, SVCD and DVD Format .mpg; And the independent player of the YouTube Converter will amuse you by playing your favorite videos.M2TS Converter is a powerful m2ts conversion software that can convert M2TS files to other video and audio formats. Convert m2ts, ts, trp hd video files is so fast and perfect.For e.g. With the M2TS Converter you can convert m2ts to AVI, convert M2ts to MPG, convert m2ts to iPod, convert m2ts to WAV, etc. The software support a series of output formats like, WMV, AVI, ASF, MPEG, MP4, MOV, 3GP, VOB, FLV, WMA, MP3, AAC, WAV, etc. It can aslo supprt convert m2ts files to iPod, iPhone, Apple TV, Zune, PSP, PS3, Creative Zen, Archos, MP3, and other Video and audio players. The Transfer iPod to Computer is premium iPod transfer software for iPod music, video and photo transferring. It can transfer iPod to computer and backup iPod to computer quickly and smoothly. It's also a computer to iPod transfer tool which can transfer iPod music, videos and photos from computer to iPod.iPod to Mac Transferis perfect and powerful iPod transfer for Mac software. It offers iPod to Mac transfer of music, photo, video, movie, podcast and TV program. Moreover, iPod to iTunes, and Mac to iPod transfer are also supported.DVD to iPod for Mac is specially designed for Mac Intel and Mac Power PC users to convert DVD movies to iPod video format on Mac OS X (including Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard). Supports playback on iPod touch, iPod classic, iPod nano and other portable video players.

Posted by: himmi at December 07, 2008 09:29 PM (nWyuK)

73 Quest-Criminal's Story-Craxion Quest-Inventory adjustment-Craxion Quest-Truth is.-Craxion Quest-The Crook, Asnal-Craxion Quest-The Threat from the Gapak clan-DeFugel

Posted by: dfkj at December 20, 2009 11:53 PM (NEyQK)

Hide Comments | Add Comment