Pentagon Lashes Out At Iran Claim (citwire)
Pentagon officials thrashed out at a New Yorker Magazine report by Seymour Hersh, that claims they were preparing for possible strikes in Iran. That the US was carrying out secret reconnaissance missions inside Iran, to drastically expand the war on terrorism. The Pentagon said the article contains "fantastic claims" that don't exist.
Hersh claims that President George W. Bush has plans to drastically expand the war on terrorism, and that he has already signed executive orders authorising secret commando operations against terrorist targets in up to ten middle eastern and south Asian countries, including Iran.
The Iranian operation, which the article claims has been underway since last summer, intends to identify as many three dozen Iranian military or nuclear sites for US missile attacks or commando raids.
Lawrence DiRita, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said in a statement on Monday that many of the facts upon which the story is based are inaccurate. Neither he nor Dan Bartlett, the White House spokesman, commented directly on the commando operations claim, however.
"Mr Hirsch's sources feed him with rumour, innuendo, and assertions about meetings that never happened, programmes that do not exist, and statements by officials that were never made," the Mr DiRita said.
Lawrence DiRita, the Pentagon's chief spokesman, said in a statement on Monday that many of the facts upon which the story is based are inaccurate. Neither he nor Dan Bartlett, the White House spokesman, commented directly on the commando operations claim, however.
"Mr Hirsch's sources feed him with rumour, innuendo, and assertions about meetings that never happened, programmes that do not exist, and statements by officials that were never made," the Mr DiRita said.
In the New Yorker Magazine Seymour Hersh started his story out with:
The President and his national-security advisers have consolidated control over the military and intelligence communities to a degree unmatched since the rise of the post-Second World War national-security state—and President Bush has an aggressive and ambitious agenda for using that control against Iran and against targets in the ongoing war on terrorism.
Consolildated control maybe, but apparently not so secure. Either the Pentagon or the White House has some terrible war time leaks, or Seymour Hersh has some pretty poor sources. My guess would be the latter.
posted @ 2:52 PM | Permalink
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