ABC News is currently reporting that the U.S. government has been secretly funneling resources to Jundullah, a militant group affiliated with al-Qaeda, so that the group can carry out strikes against Iran.
A Pakistani tribal militant group responsible for a series of deadly guerrilla raids inside Iran has been secretly encouraged and advised by American officials since 2005, U.S. and Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News.
The group, called Jundullah, is made up of members of the Baluchi tribe and operates out of the Baluchistan province in Pakistan, just across the border from Iran.
It has taken responsibility for the deaths and kidnappings of more than a dozen Iranian soldiers and officials.
U.S. officials say the U.S. relationship with Jundullah is arranged so that the U.S. provides no funding to the group, which would require an official presidential order or “finding” as well as congressional oversight.
Normally when I read a report that is so heavily reliant on anonymous sources, I would counsel skepticism. However, this whole tactic is just so mind-bogglingly stupid and counterproductive that I can’t help but think that it’s something the Bush Administration is actually doing.
The enemy of your enemy isn’t always your friend. You would think that the Carter administration would have taught us that when their counterproductive strategy of supporting the Mujahideen against the Soviet Union led to the establishment of the Taliban and al Qaeda. Although I suppose I should look on the bright side–now Sylvester Stallone has a built in plot ready for the next Rambo movie to follow up on the pro-Mujahideen Rambo III.
Link via Kevin Drum, whose own post on the subject is worth a read.
