US Authorized to "Kill or Capture" Iranians in Iraq

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Fox News WASHINGTON — U.S. soldiers have been given the green light to take whatever actions are necessary against Iranian operatives found inside Iraq as part of an effort to destabilize Teheran's influence in that war-torn nation and throughout the Middle East.

White House officials, responding to a report in the Washington Post that U.S. soldiers had been given "kill or capture" orders, told FOX News that the U.S. is warning Iran that its meddling in Iraq will not be tolerated, and that U.S. forces have orders to go after any "actionable intelligence" of a foreign threat.
According to the Post, the new "kill or capture" program was approved by President Bush last fall, along with other efforts intended to weaken Iran's power and its interest in obtaining nuclear power.

The article says senior administration officials decided a more aggressive strategy was needed last summer to counter Iran's growing influence over the region.

The Post, citing government and counter-terrorism officials, reported the move by President Bush is also part of a strategy to compel Iran to give up its nuclear program.
The aggressive new policy came in response to intelligence that Iran is supporting terrorists inside Iraq and is providing bombs -- known as improvised explosive devices -- and other equipment to anti-U.S. insurgents.

"The president and his national security team over the last several months have continued to receive information that Iranians were supplying IED equipment and or training that was being used to harm American soldiers," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said.

"As a result American forces, when they receive actionable information, may take the steps necessary to protect themselves as well as the population," Johndroe said.

Officials on Friday took issue with parts of the Post report, likening its tone to warnings by some Democrats that the administration is seeking a war with Iran.

According to administration officials, the president is warning Iran that its actions in Iraq will not be tolerated, but the movement of a carrier group and Patriot missile batteries to the region is intended more to reassure U.S. allies than to threaten Iran.

A U.S. military official said the White House would soon begin an effort to better demonstrate Iran's involvement with Shiite sectarian militias opposed to the U-S presence.

Officials also denied there ever was a "catch and release" program regarding Iranians, pointing out that Iranians were detained in Iraq in only two cases, once around Christmas and a second time a couple of weeks ago in Irbil.

The Post article claimed that U.S. forces have over the past year used a "catch and release" system to detain suspected Iranian agents for several days at a time, collecting DNA, retina scan and fingerprint information before releasing them.