ALERT: Iran takes UK sailors hostage in Iraqi waters

[SteelCore]

Here we go again...another hostage crisis...Iran;s gonna be renamed "New Texas" by this time next year.


UK sailors captured at gunpoint

The sailors and marines are from HMS Cornwall
Fifteen British Navy personnel have been captured at gunpoint by Iranian forces, the Ministry of Defence says.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/6484279.stm

The men were seized at 1030 local time when they boarded a boat in the Gulf, off the coast of Iraq, which they suspected was smuggling cars.

The Royal Navy said it was doing everything it could to secure the release of the sailors and marines who are based on HMS Cornwall.

They were said to be carrying out a routine patrol in Iraqi waters.

The Ministry of Defence said: "The group boarding party had completed a successful inspection of a merchant ship when they and their two boats were surrounded and escorted by Iranian vessels into Iranian territorial waters.

[M1 Tanker]

That is scary....the next question is why didn't the HMS Cornwall smoke their asses when they entered Iraqi waters?

I am beginning to believe the only way Ahmadinejad can stay in power is to keep the crisis thing going with the West. I mean look at it, we have given in on Nukes with them and bent over backwards to say the Iranian Government isn't supporting the insurgents in Iraq. That man is spoiling for a fight and at this rate may get it.

[rustypirate]

This is in retalliation to the capture (they say kidnap) of Iranian military leaders in other countries (mostly Iraq). the Iranian government claims that the US and their allies are trying to destabilize the Iranian military by targeting their leadership.

Of course you have to wonder why so many of the Iranian military leadership are operating in Iraq.......

this is going to get UGLY and quick!

Just like the Sirians, the Iranians are actively instigating this fight, and will not settle down until they get one.

[nalioth]

Just like the Sirians, the Iranians are actively instigating this fight, and will not settle down until they get one. .... I hope they are ready for what they are asking for. I'm surprised a SAS team hasn't gotten "lost" in eastern Iraq <cough> and found those sailors already . . .

[kevin]

didnt something like this happen with like 5-6 british soldiers a few years ago?

i think they just want to provoke someone and start WW3

i guess i answered my own question, i read the yahoo version

"In 2004, Iran detained eight British servicemen for three days after they allegedly strayed over the maritime border."

Probably will resolve it the same way as last time and do nothing

[SteelCore]

"why didn't the HMS Cornwall smoke their asses when they entered Iraqi waters"
-->I'm thinking the only reason is that it says they were there at the behest of the UN...so the old 'dont; fire unless fired upon' may apply here.

Otherwise, there'd be only a puddle of burning oil left on the ocean there.:box:

I thinkt he west is still building a really solid case against Iran first before acting (remember the Austrian supplied sniper rifles that the US troops found in Iraq, that were sold to the Iranians?.
Some top Iranians defected, taking some dirty secrets with them. Not all Iranians agree with the Pres over there, mostly the intelligent folks. That gets suppressed in their media and ours, but there is much civil unrest with the way things are going in Iran. I think they are on shaky ground, and with the gov't of Iran externalizing their 'strife' on a target like the west keeps people from getting down to much-needed socio-political reform.

The US is making them reel nervous-like. they KNOW they are about a pube-hair away from getting p0wned....so why push so hard?

I bet the first firing instance they get into, it will ne ON>

[M1 Tanker]

Their idiot "President" reminds me of a certain Bavarian Corporal...and we know how well that turned out.

[SteelCore]

also this is kind of like the Bosnia thing...yeah, the region is gonna be tore up fer a while, but divide things up along sectarian/religious lines, and make a go at civility. Iran would LOVE to keep this from happening in Iraq. An unstable Iraq is to their (and Syria's) advantage.

[iocane]

Politics is tying up are ability to respond to the Iranians. Britain has the same problem.

[Geilt]

I've been of the opinion that the war in Iraq became a proxy war with Iran quite some time ago. Iran has been a destabilizing force in the middle east ever since the overthrow of the Shaw in the 1970s. They want to regain their importance on the world scene and recapture some of the glory they had going back to the Persian empire. If they can fan the flames of sectarian violence in the region all the better.

The capture (that is to say kidnapping) of these British soldiers is, as Rusty said, in retaliation for the perceived kidnapping of Iranian military officers in Iraq. Iran will try to use them as leverage with the Coalition Forces and Iraqi government to help secure the release of those Iranian officers. Now if those Iranians defected and weren't captured things will get sticky quick as I am sure they won't want to go back to Iran.

[SteelCore]

fer sher...we did it to the Russkis during the cold war with Afghanistan. it was done to us in VN. Hel, Iraq was our proxy against the Ayatolah in Iran in the 70s. I'm sure that's why we shipped all dat VX over there, thinking these folks might just use it...

[Grasshopper]

Didn't we capture 5 Iranian ass%^*es in Iraq a few months ago and in retaliation didn't an Iranian team capture 5 of our troops and execute them?
These people are trying to get war going.:poke:

[Geilt]

These people are trying to get war going.:poke:

It's easy to see they are trying to do this. All someone has to do is open their eyes and look at history and what is going on today. Its not just the actions taken by Iran directly or the whole dispute over their nuclear research. Look at the instability in the region they are generating by funding different militias in Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. They don't act out militarily themselves but they can fund others to do their dirty work for them. The west is getting sucked in to a fight on their terms. We need to turn the table somehow, stop reacting and put Iran on the defensive.

Trying to do this through open diplomacy only increases the perceived importance of Iran in the region and gives them the opportunity to get their message out more. The same is true for North Korea. It puts the microphones and video cameras squarely on them for the world to see. If we strike militarily we are seen as the aggressors and are damned internationally. So if open political engagement doesn't work and military action isn't a viable option we're left between a rock and a hard place. We can't open our arms and accept Iran and every other rogue state that thumps their chest as legitimate. This would reinforce what they've been doing behind the scenes and other nations or groups will follow suit.

[Big Steve]

If they are going to do it I think they need to do it the way I think we should have handled Iraq. Go in and blow up Ahmadinejad, everything Nuclear and all their military bases. And get the hell out. If they reassemble blow them up again later. Don't stick around and try to liberate the people. They don't want to be a democracy, they want to fight each other. Let them fight but don't let them get so strong militarily to be a threat to us or to start a nuclear war with Israel.
Steve

[Allwater]

I just caught the headline while cruising Drudge here during lunch - I had to log on at work (a big boo-boo) just to see if there was a buzz on the forum - what a well informed bunch we have here!

Oh man, here we go... So, do you guys think that this by itself is enough to provoke a response by the Brits?!?! Is the act of just taking them, or the subsequent treatment of those soldiers be the real trick here??? Only time will tell, I guess...

Oh, wait - what about those Iran bound sniper rifles that ended up in Iraq - and then all the iranian explosive materials they just siezed that was in the process of being made into IEDs - oh what about ... well ... all that other stuff we don't know about???

Maybe this isn't strike one against them, but strike 14...

[kpd007]

If they are going to do it I think they need to do it the way I think we should have handled Iraq. Go in and blow up Ahmadinejad, everything Nuclear and all their military bases. And get the hell out. If they reassemble blow them up again later. Don't stick around and try to liberate the people. They don't want to be a democracy, they want to fight each other. Let them fight but don't let them get so strong militarily to be a threat to us or to start a nuclear war with Israel.
Steve

I agree Steve. Or we go back to the total war thing and just level everything. We did it in Germany and Japan. What is it going to take to completely kick the hell out of these guys? Some Iranian sponsored school shootings in our heartland? Far fetched? You better believe they know the way to piss us off is to hurt our children. Trunk guns for everyone!!!

[weasel_master]

We should resort to their tactics. Fun a little terrorism here, a little terrorism there. If we can't as a nation strike them, pull a few jabs they're throwing around. Wouldn't solve much but would make you feel better for pissing them off. In all reality, there isn't much we can and can't do though. At least not how I see it.

[SteelCore]

the US has not really committed to total war since WWII...no gas/commodities rationing, war economy, mass enlistments, etc in anyhting since then. Thus, we undercommit forces needed. I think if we really wanted to END it, we would need to ANNEX it. it would be a full-scale invasion, and the aim would be to end of the regimes that rode on the coat tails of the giants they are descended from...the persians. Iranians arent even descended from the Indo-Iranians, they're just squatters on some previous culture.

The Persian empire reached its heydey more than 3000years ago, and they've been in a real dark ages since the coming of Islam. lost science, literature, art, math, etc.

If you really want to end it, you have to quit fighting battles of containment and appeasement and fight to CONQUER. You have to be the BIG BAD GUYS. You have to remind peple that we remove tryants from power because we WANT to, and because we CAN. And since they were incapable of doing that and establishing the new way, WE WILL, then we roll out whatever plan we want. (I'm sure it'll most likely involve outsourcuing more US labor jobs ther or something tho :evil:)

that being said, I think we'd need to kil a buncha lawmakers and liberals at home to get this in motion.

then, after the Mideast is "New America," let's fix those quibbline bastiges in West Africa....

:1106:

[cimmaronkid]

It is amazing that as the strongest nation on the earth that we let these shit hole countries kick us and our allies around. Problem here is that this will turn into a religious war unless handled correctly. Why do we even care what the rest of the world thinks of us? Why do we give a rip about the UN? We shouldn't! The Middle East needs us for their oil exports, the Russians need us for our food exports, the Japanese need us for their auto and electronic exports, China needs us for everything they export and our food and steel imports, and most of the other countries need us for their exports and unless they have this market, they have no income, so why do we feel we have to kiss their butts when it comes to our foreign policy. And France? Well, going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordian.

I agree 100% with Steely as to the fact that this country is controlled by way too many liberals and bleeding hearts that want to be politically correct so we don't look like the bad guys. No matter what we do, we will look that way so lets grow some balls again in this country and go make an example of one of these countries and their regimes that threaten our way of life. Wade in with enough firepower, level the country and leave with the warning that if they start again we will be back for a repeat performance.

[rpmfly2]

Let them keep it up and they will all end up with SADAM and his henchmen! MARTERS!!!!!

:terrorist: :terrorist: :terrorist: :terrorist:
"why didn't the HMS Cornwall smoke their asses when they entered Iraqi waters"
-->I'm thinking the only reason is that it says they were there at the behest of the UN...so the old 'dont; fire unless fired upon' may apply here.

Otherwise, there'd be only a puddle of burning oil left on the ocean there.:box:

I thinkt he west is still building a really solid case against Iran first before acting (remember the Austrian supplied sniper rifles that the US troops found in Iraq, that were sold to the Iranians?.
Some top Iranians defected, taking some dirty secrets with them. Not all Iranians agree with the Pres over there, mostly the intelligent folks. That gets suppressed in their media and ours, but there is much civil unrest with the way things are going in Iran. I think they are on shaky ground, and with the gov't of Iran externalizing their 'strife' on a target like the west keeps people from getting down to much-needed socio-political reform.

The US is making them reel nervous-like. they KNOW they are about a pube-hair away from getting p0wned....so why push so hard?

I bet the first firing instance they get into, it will ne ON>

[Geilt]

I fully expect to be flamed for the following but it's my honest views on this... this will become a war of faiths and it will involve nearly all corners of the world.

With the growing power of the religous extremists, and I am not talking about just militant Islam but all faiths, the Middle East is destined to see the next Crusades. This time the Muslims aren't going to just try and take southern Europe, they are going to stop at nothing short of an Islamic world under their interpretation.

The West will only tolerate it for as long as it stays contained to the Middle East. It's going to take more events like 9/11, the London bombings, the train bombings in Spain, the list goes on and on before it comes to total war with radical Islam.

Maybe the last straw will be the use of NBC weapons. Maybe it will be be a string of attacks at a large Western sporting events (Superbowl, Olympics, World Cup Soccer, anything with the loss of tens of thousands of civilian lives). Maybe some massive attack on Israel and the US will have to respond. Not just one two more attacks but several. Who knows when or where but it will come. Enough blood will be spilled, the populace will become afraid and demanding security.

It will come because the masses and the lefties will have under estimated the extent to which pissed-off-hyped-up-extremists will go to to win. We have to stop playing this half way and get ready to bring our A-Game when it hits the fan.

[Norton]

I fully expect to be flamed for the following but it's my honest views on this... this will become a war of faiths and it will involve nearly all corners of the world.
.

You won't be flamed for saying that.. It is already the truth almost any other faith that lives in lose proxemity to the Musliums is under attack. Countrys such as India, The Pillipines and other South Pacific islands have roaming bands of terroists attacking Catholics,
Christian Africians raped, murdered or enslaved, . We see Hindu houses of worship burnt down, Buddist statues blown up and 'Siiks' beaten to death by mobs (sorry on the spelling) They have made it clear by their actions they don't tollerate other faiths.. They say they do but their actions speak louder than words.
What pisses me off is certain people don't look at this as a war on their culture or other cultures. Rather a way to make political points to get their party elected. This go for overseas politics as well.. Why can't these people see that the enemy dosn't care if you are a Democrat or Republican, Tory or Labour,
Socialist , Communist ect..(remember what happened to the Iranian Communist party? they all found the end of a rope or bullet in 1979)
We are just different breeds of snakes to them.
As for these Iranians taking hostages from the British ship they did it a few years ago and are always taking hostages.. That's Iran's bag I don't think Britian will do anything but talk. Hell they took 52 hostages from the USA in 1979 and held them for 444 days and all we did was talk. This manic who runs Iran was one of the ring leaders of the mob who took them. Look at how it turned out for him.. He is the ''Grand Poobah'' of what was a weathy nation.
I think sooner or latter they are going to use a Atom Bomb somewhere. Then you will have a WW 2 type mobilzation, others on this board have brought up . It wil be total war but we will loose what freedoms we still have. Liberals/Socialists will use it as a chance to finish off the 1st, 2nd and 4th amendments. It will be their golden ticket..

[bullseye]

Here is what is going to happen. I am a realist(I think). We will bitch and complain and the hostages will be killed. More will get taken and same will happen again, and again..... We will do the same to the rest of the world as we have done here. We have an illegal problem in this country and the way it will be fixed is to make them all legal. We are in a war they will not allow us to win. The way that will be corrected is to pull out and invite them here legally co they can continue on our soil. We are screwed and it is not going to get better for a long time unless there is a revolution. I have lost all faith in our gov doing what is right instead of what will get them paid. The world has seen us at our greatest and they see us now as no more than a paper tiger. We will issue orders and demands but are afraid to back them up and they know it. Why do we waste the showmanship telling others what to do and how to do it if we will not enforce anything. It's like the old british bobby seeing a felon running down the road. He yells "Halt!, or I'll yell Halt! again". It is just posturing and does no good.

[A.D.A.]

+1 to Bullseye. It sure seems that we have lost the political will to enforce anything. We are a nation of over sensitive pansies. People like us (who inhabit this board) are shouted down like heretics and are definitely in the minority. Common sense has gone down the drain. God, it is depressing.

[mistersquiggles]

how about rounding up all the beer-ed up rednecks we can find between arizona and south carolina, and all states in between, that are 1: fed up with the way that the guvmint is handling bidness, 2: anxious to get their sons and daughters home from that hell hole, and 3: just plain tired of the whole mideast quagmire, and round them up, put em on planes, and send em over with enough ammo and beer to beat those little bastards into submission once and for all.... then once we've got their attention, give em their country back in pieces, ala marshall plan of WWII fame...... itll be at least 50 years before we hafta go mess with them again...... just kidding.. all jokes aside, it looks like things are takin a turn for the worst.... i hope if it comes to it that we do this one right like steely said.... actually go there with the idea of CONQUERING them in mind......

[bullseye]

The Pentagon announced TODAY the formation of a new 500-man elite fighting unit called the United States Redneck Special Forces (USRSF)


These Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, West Virginia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas boys will bedropped off into Iraq and have been given only the following facts about terrorists :

1. The season opened today.2 There is no limit.3. They taste just like chicken.4. They don't like beer, pickups, country music or Jesus.5. They are directly responsible for the death of Dale Earnhardt.


The Pentagon expects the problem in Iraq to be over by Friday.

I think this can work. :sterb126: