The Long War Journal: Targeting the Iranian "Secret Cells"

Written by Bill Roggio on June 8, 2007 12:09 AM to The Long War Journal

Available online at: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2007/06/targeting_the_irania.php

Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces work to dismantle the Iranian run Sheibani and Qazali networks

Since the end of April, Multinational Forces Iraq has released a multitude of press releases noting the capture or killing of members described as belonging to "a secret cell terrorist network known for its use of explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, as well as facilitating the transport of weapons and EFPs from Iran to Iraq, and bringing militants from Iraq to Iran for terrorist training." Coalition and Iraqi forces killed 91 members of this network and captured 112 since April 27, 2007. These are Shia terrorists which are trained, armed, funded and directed by Iran's Qods Force, and have connections to Muqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army.

Multinational Forces Iraq is cryptic yet clear when discussing this network of Iranian backed operatives. Since General David Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Forces Iraq, gave a press briefing on April 26, where he identified the "secret cell network, the extremist secret cells" that "were provided substantial funding, training on Iranian soil, advanced explosive munitions and technologies as well as run of the mill arms and ammunition, in some cases advice and in some cases even a degree of direction," 17 press releases identified raids against the network. In his briefing on April 26, General Petraeus mentioned both the Sheibani and Qazali networks.

The overarching network is actually the Sheibani Network, an unnamed intelligence official informed us. The Qazali network was described as a radical splinter Mahdi Army unit which operates under the aegis of the Sheibani network. General Petraeus stated the Qazali network received "substantial funding, training on Iranian soil, advanced explosive munitions and technologies as well as run of the mill arms and ammunition, in some cases advice and in some cases even a degree of direction."

"There's no question, again, that Iranian financing is taking place through the Qods force of the Iranian Republican Guards Corps," General Petraeus noted, as documentation seized during raids provided evidence of this. Qods Force [or Jerusalem Force] is a branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and is responsible for planning and conducting foreign operations, intelligence gathering and terrorist activities. The unit works extensively with Hezbollah. Qods Force regularly uses its diplomatic missions to provide cover for its operatives.

The U.S. currently has 7 senior members of Iran's Qods Force in custody after raids in Baghdad in December of 2006 and Irbil in January of 2007. The Qazali Network responded by kidnapping and murdering 5 U.S. soldiers during a complex attack on the Joint Provincial Coordination Center in Karbala on January 20. On May 19, Coalition forces killed Azhar al-Dulaimi during a raid in Baghdad's Sadr City.

Azhar al-Dulaimi was described as the "mastermind" and "tactical commander" of the Karbala attack and is known to have been a key player in numerous other high-profile terror attacks in Iraq. He was a major figure in the Iranian-supported Qazali network. "Intelligence reports indicate Dulaimi received military training from Iranian intelligence agents and from Lebanese Hezbollah, to include training on how to conduct terrorist-style kidnapping," according to the Department of Defense.

The Sheibani Network's role in supplying the Qazali network was unmasked after "an individual named Sheibani, who is one of the heads of the Sheibani network" was captured, General Petraeus noted in April. "His brother is the Iranian connection. He is -- was in Iraq. And that has been the conduit that then distributes these among the extremist elements again [to] these secret cells and so forth." In July of 2006, Abu Mustafa Al-Sheibani, the leader of the network, was placed on the list of 41 most wanted, and a $200,000 bounty was placed for "information leading to his capture." While it isn't clear, it is believed he was the Sheibani captured.

In August of 2005, Time described the activities of the Sheibani network, and documented the role of Iranian Qods Force in their operations to move weapons and employ the deadly Explosively Formed Penetrators - or EFPs - which are armor piercing mines. Back in 2005, the U.S. believed "al-Sheibani's team consisted of 280 members, divided into 17 bombmaking teams and death squads," Time noted. The U.S. also believed "[the Sheibani network] trained in Lebanon, in Baghdad's predominantly Shi'ite Sadr City district and 'in another country,'" presumably Iran.

The vast majority of the Iraqi and Coalition raids occurred in Sadr City, the Shia dominated neighborhood in northeast Baghdad and stronghold of Muqtada al Sadr, the leader of the Mahdi Army. Sadr, who recently returned from Iran after fleeing the country at the onset of the Baghdad Security Plan, have a role in the "secret network," according to Azzaman.

"Sadr’s sudden emergence and his meetings have been prompted by the defection of one of his most senior aides, former Health Minister Ali al-Shammari," anonymous sources inside Sadr's inner circle told Azzaman. "The sources said Shammari was close to Sadr and had insider information of the movement’s influence, spread and organization. The movement fears that Shammari might have passed to the U.S. confidential information on how the movement procures arms and training and the links it has with Iran."

The Associated Press recently described the split in Sadr's militia as one between "a larger group that calls itself the "noble Mahdi Army" and accuses others in the Mahdi Army of going too far by killing innocent Sunni civilians and embezzling militia funds," and the more radical elements "trained and armed by Iranians." As the Mahdi Army fragmented last winter, a force of about 3,000 Mahdi fighters led by Qais al-Khazaali [or Qais al Qazali] were said to have sided with Iran and are training in Iranian camps.

Iran's Qods Force has set up the Qazali and Sheibani networks to provide for plausible deniability. "Military intelligence officers describe their Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps counterparts' strategy as one of using "nonattributable attacks" by proxy forces to maximize deniability" Time noted in 2005. Qods has established their Iraqi networks to be manned by Iraqi operatives, which provides a degree of separation from the Iranian regime.

However, Qods Force and the IRGC are not opposed to having foreign members in its ranks. International terrorists such as Imad Mugniyah, the operational leader of Hezbollah, also hold rank within Qods Force. "Imad Mugniyah embodies the complexity of where to tackle this terrorism because he stands with one foot in Hezbollah, reporting directly to [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah, but he also has one foot in Iran, with the Iranian MOIS [the Iranian intelligence service] and the al-Qods, or the Jerusalem Force, of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard," terrorism and Hezbollah expert Magnus Ranstorp told the Council on Foreign Relations. "He allegedly works within the highest levels of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iranian intelligence and is said to take orders directly from Ayatollah Khamenei," notes the CFR.

Leaders within Sheibani Network, and by extension the Qazali network, while Iraqi in nationality, are members of Iran's Qods Force.

A time line of the raids against the Qods force "secret cell terrorist network" since April 27, 2007. Coalition and Iraqi forces killed 91 members of this network and captured 112. Totals will be updated for operations after June 8.

April 26: General Pertraeus briefed on the capture of members of the Qazali and Sheibani networks

April 27: 4 captured during a raid in Sadr City

May 3: 2 captured during raids in Sadr City.

May 4: 16 captured during a raid in Sadr City, and a large Iranian supplied weapons cache found south of Baghdad.

May 6: 10 killed during a raid against a Sadr City "torture room," which also led to the discovery of large weapons cache

May 10: 4 captured, 3 killed during raids in Sadr City.

May 13: 3 captured during a raid in Sadr City.

May 19: 6 captured, 1 killed during raids in northeast Baghdad. Azhar al-Dulaimi, the "mastermind" and "tactical commander" of the Karbala attack and a leader in the Qazali network was the man killed.

May 25: 1 captured, 4 killed in Raids in Basra and Sadr City. "The individual targeted [in Sadr City] is suspected of having direct ties to the leader of the EFP network as well as acting as a proxy for an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer." "The British killed Abu Qader, the leader of the Mahdi Army in Basra, along with his brother and two aides."

May 26: 1 captured, 5 killed during raids in Sadr City. "The individual detained during the raid is believed to be the suspected leader in a secret cell terrorist network..."

May 27: 1 captured during a raid in Sadr City.

May 30: 6 captured during a raid in Sadr City, including one cell leader.

May 31: 2 captured during a raid in Sadr City.

June 5: 6 captured, 1 killed during two raids in Baghdad. One of those captured "is an integral member of the improvised explosive devises and EFP facilitation network... also believed to be responsible for numerous attacks against Coalition Forces, including heavy involvement in mortar attacks, personally observing and adjusting fire in the past two days."

June 7: 16 captured during a raid in Sadr City.

{Updated since published}

June 8: : 1 captured during raid in Baghdad, said to be "a commander of an anti-nationalist splinter organization of Jaysh al-Mahdi"

June 9: 3 captured, 1 killed during raids in Baghdad

June 13: 3 captured, 1 killed during raids in Baghdad

June 16: 10 captured, 1 killed during raids in Baghdad and Sadr City

June 18: 6 captured, 20 killed during raids in Amarah and Majjar al-Kabir

June 25: 4 killed during raids in Sadr City

June 29: 1 captured during raids in Sadr City

June 30: 17 captured, 26 killed during raids in Baghdad and Sadr City