United States kill or capture strategy in Iraq

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For other uses, see Kill or capture.

The "kill or capture" strategy is a policy adopted in 2007 by the United States in Iraq to confront suspected Iranian operatives in Iraq. These Iranian operatives were accused of supplying various militias in Iraq with technical, financial, and material support so that they can carry out terrorist attacks against U.S.-led Coalition forces.

Announcement

In January 2007 the Bush administration authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture any member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), as well as its intelligence operatives inside Iraq as part of a strategy to diminish Iran's influence in Iraq and compel the government to end its nuclear program. Task Force 17 was created with the mission to defeat IRGC-QF, their proxies and surrogate networks in Iraq in order to disrupt malign Iranian influence.

Background

This new policy replaced the previous "catch and release" policy which had been in place for more than a year. Under that policy, U.S. forces would secretly detain suspected Iranian agents, holding them for a few days. The policy was intended to intimidate Iranian emissaries without excessively escalating tensions with Iran. U.S. forces took DNA samples or retina scans of the detainees, along with fingerprints and photographs, before letting them go.

Senior administration officials said the new policy was based on the theory that Iran would back down from its nuclear ambitions if the United States hit it hard in Iraq and elsewhere, creating a sense of vulnerability among Iranian leaders. Officials also clarified that the policy does not extend to Iranian civilians or diplomats.

Reactions

The head of the Iranian parliament's Foreign Policy and Security Commission said he hoped the report was "wrong, as such an order is a clear terrorist act and against all internationally acknowledged norms." The Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki blamed U.S. President Bush for the order, saying in a press conference, that "as far as Iraq is concerned, Iran is not a problem but part of solving it. The U.S. should not blame others for the failure of its policies and always look for scapegoats."

Syria's Foreign Minister Walid Muallem stated that Iran and Syria's shared borders with Iraq meant they benefitted most from a secure and stable Iraq, and stressed their constructive role. He described Coalition forces as intruders in Iraq's domestic affairs, and viewed the U.S.' new strategy as wrong.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad defended the U.S.-backed Iraqi government and warned against attempts to undermine it, declaring during a call with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani in January 2007 that any attempt to weaken the Iraqi government would be "treason against the Iraqi people and Islamic nation".

On January 20, 2007, Mohammad Ali Jafari, then-commander-in-chief of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, declared that "The United States seeks to justify its failure in Iraq and blame the situation on Iran."

In June 2007 the NSA's Director Mike McConnell stated there was "overwhelming evidence" that Iran supported terrorists in Iraq and "compelling evidence" that it did much the same in Afghanistan.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said that Iranian-born Ayatollah Ali Sistani had played an important role in helping to establish security in Iraq. President Talabani also mentioned that Iran and Syria had begun to help the Iraqi government in a good manner. "We do not want the Iranian-U.S. relations to develop into a conflict in Iraq. On the contrary, we have exerted efforts to bring about a U.S.-Iranian agreement or understanding for a joint action for the security and stability in Iraq." he said in an interview with Al-Hayat in January 2007.

Following two U.S. raids in December 2006 and January 2007 in which Iranian nationals were detained, one of Iraq's most powerful Shia politicians, Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, condemned the arrest as an attack on Iraq's sovereignty.

During an interview in January 2007, Germany's Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler said there will be no solution to the Iraqi conflict unless Iran and Syria are also involved in the efforts to restore peace.

Officials counseled the U.S. President and his direct advisers to consider all potential consequences, including the possibility that the Iranian government may retaliate by increasing its efforts to hinder, detain, or kill U.S. forces in Iraq.

References

^ Troops Authorized to Kill Iranian Operatives in Iraq, Dafna Linzer, Washington Post, January 26, 2007
U.S.: Evidence shows Iran subversion in Iraq, NBC News, January 26, 2007
Bush: U.S. troops may protect selves from Iranians , Steve Holland, Reuters, January 26, 2007
"Iran's Involvement in Iraq". Council on Foreign Relations.
Military can kill or capture Iranian operatives in Iraq, Dafna Linzer, The Washington Post via Houston Chronicle, January 26, 2007
President Bush Congratulates General Petraeus on Senate Confirmation, Discusses Way Forward in Iraq, Interview with President George W. Bush, The White House, January 26, 2007
Increased Troops, Iranian Agents and Iraqi Refugees, To the Point, Public Radio International and KCRW, January 26, 2007
"Inside U.S. Commandos' Shadow War Against Iran". Daily Beast. September 1, 2015.
^ U.S. order: Kill or capture Iranian agents inside Iraq, Dafna Linzer, The Washington Post via Seattle Times, January 26, 2007
India eNews - Iran condemns Bush's order as 'terrorist act'
Fars News Agency :: Iran, Syria's Constructive Role in Iraq Undeniable
International Intelligence - Analysis - UPI.com
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=1/20/2007&Cat=2&Num=012
"State Sponsors: Iran - Council on Foreign Relations". Archived from the original on 2006-07-18.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=1/20/2007&Cat=2&Num=004
Dar Al Hayat
BBC NEWS | Middle East | Top Iraqi condemns US over Iran
Germany highlights Iran's role in Iraq peace efforts - Irna

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