By Steve Hynd
A few weeks back I mentioned a portion of D.N.I. Blair's declassified answers to congressional questions that put forward as "recieved wisdom" that Iran was supplying tank-killing IED mines along with other weapons to the Taliban. Given that the primary open source upon which Blair's answer relied was the notoriously unreliable Daily Telegraph's citing of what they said an "anonymous Taliban commander" had confessed, it left me feeling very dubious about the fallibility of all the intelligence communities assessments.
Now, investigative reporter Gareth Porter has done some digging and has discovered a very different story underlying the official anti-Iran spin.
according to the Pentagon agency responsible for combating roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan, the increased Taliban threat to U.S. and NATO vehicles comes not from any new technology from Iran but from Italian-made mines left over from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency's military assistance to the anti-Soviet jihadists in the 1980s.
In response to an inquiry from IPS, the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization (JIEDDO) said in an e-mail that Italian-manufactured TC-6 anti-tank mines are "very common" in the Taliban-dominated areas of the country and that they have been modified to increase their lethality in IED attacks.
The JIEDDO response said TC-6 mines are being "arrayed in two or three in tandem to ensure the charge is large enough to inflict damage against Coalition vehicles." The TC-6 mines "continue to pose a significant threat to Coalition Forces", JIEDDO said.
The combining of two or three anti-tank mines into a single, more destructive bomb would account for the increased lethality of the anti-tank mines being used by the Taliban.
Even pictures that had been released showing alleged Iranian weapons seized in Afghanistan included these Italian mines. So what's going on?
Former CIA officer Phil Giraldi, who monitors U.S. intelligence analysis on Iran, told IPS he doubts the ODNI statement on Iranian policy in Afghanistan accurately reflects the analysis.
"If you were to read the original analytical report," said Giraldi, "you would probably find that it's caveated like mad."
Maybe ODNI figures Republican Senators with a hard-on to "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" don't handle nuance and caveats well...
The Mine hasn't been made in italy for a while now. However Eygpt and portugal still do.
ReplyDeleteHere is what Janes defence have to say on the Mine:
DescriptionThe Tecnovar TC/6 is a circular resin-based plastic anti-tank minethat is fully waterproof and non-buoyant. It can be laid by hand, to adepth of between 75 and 150 mm in soil and up to 1 m in snow, or laidmechanically from a vehicle.The TCE/6 is physically similar to the TC/6 mine and is fitted withan electronic arming/disarming device, that can be used to activate ordeactivate a minefield or minefield sector composed of these mines onreceipt of a command signal.Actuation of both mines is by the application of force to apressure plate. Both mines are capable of destroying the tracks andseverely damaging the suspension of armoured vehicles.Inert training versions are available.The TC/6 is produced in Egypt as the Anti-tank Plastic Mine T. C.6.It is also produced in Portugal by Explosivos da Trafaria, SARL.
Weight: 9.6 kgDiameter: 270 mmHeight: 185 mmMain charge type: Composition BWeight of main charge: 6 kgOperating force:(average) 180 kg(max) 310 kgOperating temperature range: -31 to +70�C
http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Military-Vehicles-and-Logistics/Tecnovar-TC-6-and-TCE-6-Anti-tank-Mines-Italy.html
Thanks Pounce. That info doesn't affect Gareth's story as it deals with old mines from the days of the Soviet occupation. But it certainly points up how plentiful such weapons are, especially in a region where the Silk Road paths have been used to take arms across porous borders for centuries. I've argued in the past that much of the hype about Iran arming militants in Iraq and Afghanistan can be explained by simple, old-fashioned, black market entrepreneurs.
ReplyDeleteRegards, Steve