War Wire

Here are two more articles from the AFP's SpaceWar/War Wire about Iran.

* Rice criticizes actions of Iran, Syria in Iraq
* US says Iran nuclear programme threatens Mideast allies

In other news (also on SpaceWar), the Iraqi Interim Interior Minister thinks that the Coalition will be able to leave within eighteen months.

Flush with the successful voting in Sunday's elections, Iraq's interim interior minister said US and British troops would not be needed anymore in as soon as 18 months from now.

"I think we will not need the foreign forces in this country within 18 months," interim interior minister Falah al-Nakib told Britain's Channel 4 television.

I don't think that this is an unrealistic estimate, though I agree that putting a timetable on withdrawal is a dangerous thing to do, and only encourages the "insurgency". The Iraqis, and the rest of the world, need to know that we will be there to back them up until the job is done, and we won't leave them hanging.

And the money shot?

The UN Security Council has set the end of 2005 as the target date for the withdrawal of foreign troops.

The same Security Council that keeps failing completely in everything it tries to do? You'll excuse me if I ignore their "target dates".