Iran and Syria........ See previous comments as Syria is now part of the target countries.....
FM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A5886-2004Dec16.html
General: Iraqi Insurgents Directed From Syria
By Thomas E. Ricks
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 17, 2004; Page A29
A top Army general said yesterday that the Iraqi insurgency was being
run in part by former senior Iraqi Baath Party officials operating in
Syria who call themselves the "New Regional Command."
These men, from the former governing party of deposed president Saddam
Hussein, are "operating out of Syria with impunity and providing
direction and financing for the insurgency," said Gen. George W. Casey
Jr., the U.S. commander in Iraq. "That needs to stop," Casey said at a
Pentagon briefing.
He called on the government of President Bashar Assad to do more to
stop the insurgency from being managed by Iraqis hiding in Syria. "The
Syrians are making some efforts on the border," he said. "But they are
not going after the big fish, which is really the people that we're
interested in. And we're really interested in them going after the
senior Baathists."
Casey's comments echoed remarks by President Bush on Wednesday but
provided new details, including the name of the leadership
organization in Syria. In recent weeks, new intelligence on anti-U.S.
forces in Iraq has led officials to focus increasingly on the
sanctuary being provided there.
Casey contrasted his view of Syria's role with what he described as
the more distant threat presented by Iran. The Iranian government's
influence on Iraq needs to be watched, he said, but does not appear to
pose a major problem in affecting next month's elections.
"I don't see substantial Iranian influence on this particular
government that will be elected in January," he said. "I see Iran as
more of a longer-term threat to Iraqi security . . . a long-term
threat to stability in Iraq. If you look on the other side, I think
Syria is a short-term threat, because of the support they provide to
the former Baathist leaders that we see operating in and out of Syria."
Overall, Casey expressed optimism about the security situation in
Iraq. "I feel that we're broadly on track in helping the Iraqi people
complete their transition to a constitutionally elected government at
the end of next year," he said. "We also believe that this objective
is both realistic and achievable."
He said the strength of the Iraqi insurgency should not be
overestimated. "They're a tough, aggressive enemy, but they're not 10
feet tall," he said.
The three areas that will be major priorities for strengthening the
Iraqi government, he said, are intelligence functions, local policing
and border patrols.