An attack on a U.S. military helicopter in Iraq was carried out by Iran, Army Brig. Gen. Kurt Crytzer, deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command Central, said on Tuesday at a National Defense Industrial Association event in Tampa. The General did not say when the helicopter was shot at, but did state that it was a "specific" incident in which Iranian forces fired on American forces due to a persistent and dangerous rumor, popular in Iran, that the United States is actually arming ISIS.
From Defense One:
Iran’s Quds Force commander Qassem Suleimani, the most important military leader in Iran, and a man with tremendous influence over Iran’s activities in both Iraq and Yemen, believes the rumor fully according to a key U.S. special operations forces commander in Iraq.
General Crytzer, speaking at the conference, stated that there were "intelligence reports that we’ve gotten that members [of the anti-Islamic State coalition] were firing on helicopters because they thought we were supporting Daesh." He added "there was an incident; this was one specific incident where we had certain intelligence," according to Defense One's reporting. Daesh is a derisive term for ISIS.
The Tampa Tribune reports that Crytzer told the assembled defense experts that "groups like Daesh (Islamic State) have powerful ideology and we constantly have a problem in effectively countering their narrative. We consistently struggle in the IO (Information Operations) realm and we need solutions to contest the ideological battle space."
It should go without saying that Iranian forces firing on American aircraft is a decidedly negative turn of events. The significance of Iranian General Soleimani cannot be overstated. Soleimani is considered a heroic and inspirational figure in Iran, despite (or because of) his cozy relationship with terror groups and anti-American regimes, and his power and influence extend beyond his military position. His belief that the United States is arming the enemy is extremely dangerous and a destabilizing factor in a coalition effort to defeat Islamic State. What's more, as outlined by the Daily Mail, his cooperation and support may prove vital to the U.S. mission, at least in its current form.
That is the mess in which we now find ourselves. A key ally in our battle against ISIS is an ally to our other enemies, and what's more, thinks America is working with ISIS against Iran, and has turned that belief into action by firing on American troops. This is President Obama's Iraq. And it's a success!!
One more thing: experts on, and from, the region believe Suleimani may be on his way to becoming the next Iranian President. Yep. Sleep tight, America.
