The Kurdish government has protested the invasion of the Iranian Consulate in their provincial capital. The US troops arrested six people and confiscated computers and documents. This is an outrage. No country in the world would sit still for this. I just hope Iran goes through diplomatic channels to protest instead of opening fire. I think they will, after all, Bush is the nut job in this whole scenario.
The US government spokesman claims it wasn't a real Consulate. Right.
This story on CNN's news page says
The U.S. military operation Thursday in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil that resulted in the arrests of six Iranians has drawn a sharp denunciation from Iraq's Kurdish regional government.
A spokesman for the autonomous regional government and its presidency expressed their "alarm" and condemned the Thursday morning operation.
They characterized it as a raid on the Iranian consulate in Irbil, "which opened in the provincial capital in an agreement between the Iraqi government and the Iranian government."
The Kurdish regional government is based in Irbil.
The Kurdish statement, which includes a call for the immediate release of the detainees, says the consulate is entitled to immunity in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963.
snip
One Kurdish lawmaker said computer files, documents and other equipment were confiscated in the raid, adding the nationality of those arrested could not be immediately confirmed. According to the lawmaker, the operation was conducted near the Kurdish Parliament compound in Irbil.
So the Kurds say it's a Consulate. The US spokesman say not.
In Washington, a U.S. official confirmed that six Iranian officials were detained for questioning. But he disputed accounts that troops broke open a consulate gate and conducted a raid.
"No shots were fired. No altercation ensued," said the official. "It was a knock on the door and, 'Please come out.' "
The official also explained that the Iranians in question were not inside an officially designated diplomatic consulate or embassy-like building.
And they won't say who the detainees are or where they are being held. Oh, big surprise there!!
Other news reports in Iran are referring to the incident as a kidnapping that coincided with President Bush's announcement of his new military strategy in Iraq.
Last month, the U.S. military arrested at least four Iranians in raids in Iraq, including two diplomats, prompting Iraqi President Jalal Talabani to express dismay. A U.S. official said those Iranians were suspected of involvement in attacks against U.S. forces.
So now the US is in the process of ruining what is left of our reputation. When the Iranians took over our embassy in 1979, they were roundly condemned by the international community and declared an outlaw nation and sanctions rained down on them from every quarter. So what is going to happen to America now that we have started down the outlaw trail??
The only thing left to do is "hang" the chief outlaw and apologize to the world for ever letting a criminal fool like that into our highest office. By "hang" I mean impeach, try, convict and sentence. Then hand him over to the Hague. Along with Cheney, if he survives his arrest, and Rice and the whole damn crew. This is outrageous, and we really need to stop this man NOW, before he brings ruin on all of us.