Israeli advisers are helping train US Special Forces in counter-insurgency operations in Iraq, The Guardian reported on Tuesday. According to the British newspaper’s report, the IDF has sent urban warfare specialists to Special Forces headquarters in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
“The program included training counter-terror squads to target and liquidate terrorist leaders,” said the report. "They are being trained by Israelis in Fort Bragg. Some Israelis went to Iraq as well, not to do training, but for providing consultations." The source of the report was anonymous, though the Guardian stated that their source was a “well informed intelligence source in Washington.”
Another US source in contact with American officials in Iraq was quoted saying, "The newest part of this is that these teams will be behind the lines. They are already operating in Syria, interdicting the border, and they intend to operate behind Iranian lines."
US forces in Iraq's Sunni triangle have begun to use tactics similar to those the IDF uses in Gaza, by isolating regular sources of terrorism with razor wire, setting up checkpoints to control movement in and out of such areas, and demolishing buildings used for planning and launching terror attacks.
Military planner, Brigadier-General Michael Vane, mentioned the cooperation with Israel in a letter to Army magazine in July. "We recently traveled to Israel to glean lessons learned from their counter-terrorist operations in urban areas." Brigadier-General Vane is the deputy chief of staff at the army's training and doctrine command.
Pentagon officials announced that the media should refrain drawing any direct parallel between Israeli tactics and the new US moves in Iraq.
An Israeli official was quoted by the Guardian saying that the IDF regularly shared its experience in Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) with the US armed forces, but said he could not comment about cooperation in Iraq. "When we do activities, the US military attach?s in Tel Aviv are interested. That's the way allies work. The Special Forces come to our people and say, ‘do a debrief on an operation we have done’."
“The program included training counter-terror squads to target and liquidate terrorist leaders,” said the report. "They are being trained by Israelis in Fort Bragg. Some Israelis went to Iraq as well, not to do training, but for providing consultations." The source of the report was anonymous, though the Guardian stated that their source was a “well informed intelligence source in Washington.”
Another US source in contact with American officials in Iraq was quoted saying, "The newest part of this is that these teams will be behind the lines. They are already operating in Syria, interdicting the border, and they intend to operate behind Iranian lines."
US forces in Iraq's Sunni triangle have begun to use tactics similar to those the IDF uses in Gaza, by isolating regular sources of terrorism with razor wire, setting up checkpoints to control movement in and out of such areas, and demolishing buildings used for planning and launching terror attacks.
Military planner, Brigadier-General Michael Vane, mentioned the cooperation with Israel in a letter to Army magazine in July. "We recently traveled to Israel to glean lessons learned from their counter-terrorist operations in urban areas." Brigadier-General Vane is the deputy chief of staff at the army's training and doctrine command.
Pentagon officials announced that the media should refrain drawing any direct parallel between Israeli tactics and the new US moves in Iraq.
An Israeli official was quoted by the Guardian saying that the IDF regularly shared its experience in Yesha (Judea, Samaria and Gaza) with the US armed forces, but said he could not comment about cooperation in Iraq. "When we do activities, the US military attach?s in Tel Aviv are interested. That's the way allies work. The Special Forces come to our people and say, ‘do a debrief on an operation we have done’."