Mr. Vahidi, who served as the chief commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence unit and later as the commander of the Quds Force, has been involved in worldwide terrorism against America and Israel for years. He established ties with al-Qaeda and expanded his network of terrorism, which was then fully established through the auspices of Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. These collaborations resulted in several major terrorist attacks, including the Marine barracks bombing in Beirut in 1983 and the Jewish community center bombing in Argentina in 1994, which earned him a spot on Interpol’s most-wanted list.
However, Mr. Vahidi was warmly welcomed by the Afghan officials and held several meetings with Afghan Defense Minister Abdul Rahim Wardak, Afghan Vice President Mohammad Karim Khalili, and Afghan President Karzai. In every meeting, Mr. Vahidi blamed America for all the problems facing Afghanistan and blasted U.S. plans for the establishment of permanent military bases in Afghanistan, warning that Washington seeks to strengthen its hegemony in the region. He further stated that:
If Americans were wise, they would avoid causing long-term trouble for themselves by trying to establish permanent bases in Afghanistan.An informed source within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps reports that Mr. Vahidi also held secret talks with an American delegation consisting of political and military officials. According to the source, the Americans discussed Iran’s potential role in helping with stability and security in Afghanistan, while Vahidi insisted on Iran’s position of a speedy removal of U.S. forces and a rejection of U.S. plans for establishing permanent bases in Afghanistan.
Though much of the details of the meeting are not known, this serves as another black spot on America’s policy of negotiating with jihadists, who have sworn to do all they can to destroy America and Israel.
Interesting to note: just two days after the meeting, President Obama announced plans to reduce U.S. forces in Afghanistan. It appears that Iran is dictating events — and the U.S. is obliging.
President Obama also took a gamble during the Iranian uprising of 2009, when he turned his back on the Iranians who turned out in the millions and risked their lives to overthrow their regime. As he did two years ago, Obama continues with his policy of appeasement, hoping his overtures will result in better terms with the jihadists ruling Iran. Yet the Iranian leaders see every overture as a sign of weakness: see how Iran has accelerated their nuclear bomb project. They are openly mocking President Obama’s failed policies of appeasement and sanctions.
Instead of meeting with the Iranian defense minister, the U.S. forces in Afghanistan should have arrested Vahidi in order to honor the dictates of Interpol’s most-wanted list. The Iranian leaders should be given the message: we will not tolerate terrorism, and we will bring justice to those responsible for killing our soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.
After Mr. Vahidi’s triumphant visit to Afghanistan, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, emboldened by America’s weaknesses, lashed out again: he said the continued presence of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan is the primary reason for the problems in that country.
At the same time, the Iranian Quds Force continues to train and arm Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists in Afghanistan and the Shiite militias in Iraq. A recent report by the Iraqi National Intelligence service which has been presented to the Iraqi officials specifically highlights the Quds Force’s activities in Iraq, and states that the analysis shows the training operations are taking place in four different locations in Iran: Qom, Tehran, Mashhad, and Ahvaz. These maneuvers are overseen by Major General Qassem Suleimani, who is the chief commanding officer of the Quds (or Jerusalem) Force. The operations are also supervised and sanctioned by Khamenei.
The report elaborates further that the Iranian Quds Force specifically recruits individuals who are deemed loyal to Iraq, and not only trains them but provides them with light weapons, explosives, mortar shells the size of RPG 20s, and bombs. They also connect these individuals to other pertinent terrorist cells. The report also includes a list of Iraqi government officials and judges who are, or were, targeted for assassination.
Members of these special forces are responsible for a string of bombings (which included the use of smart bombs), which targeted six Iraqi Al-Rasafah Supreme Court judges and led to the eventual assassination of the chief justice.
It has been reported that the commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Qassem Suleimani, sent a message to the U.S. generals in Iraq saying that Iran controls the events in Iraq and it looks like Iran now intends to do the same in Afghanistan.
Mr. Vahidi’s trip to Afghanistan demonstrates: not only do the Iranian leaders ignore international law, but the weakness of America and the international community emboldens terrorists.
Because of my personal journey as a CIA spy in the Iranian Guards, I have become outspoken about the radicals ruling Iran. They intend to bring great harm to the West, and they truly believe it is their duty to do so — because Allah has commanded it. We cannot and should not take this threat lightly.
Mr.Vahdi has plans to make a similar trip to Iraq.
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