Revolutionary Guards commander: U.S. is massacring Shiite children

Iran Focus: The commander of Revolutionary Guards in the southern province of Kerman told thousands of his troops and members of the para-military Bassij that U.S. forces were not capable of defeating Moqtada Sadr’s forces in Iraq and were massacring Shiite children in the south. Iran Focus

Kerman (southern Iran), Aug 20 – The commander of Revolutionary Guards in the southern province of Kerman told thousands of his troops and members of the para-military Bassij that U.S. forces were not capable of defeating Moqtada Sadr’s forces in Iraq and were massacring Shiite children in the south.

Brigadier General Gholam-Ali Abuhamzeh made these remarks in a speech at a gathering of Revolutionary Guards and Bassij battalions in the town of Ravar.

“Today, the reactionary governments in this region are lackeys of the U.S. and their leaders are obsessed with building up their worldly possessions and have an insatiable lust for power and wealth. They are working hand-in-hand with the Americans, the Israelis and International Zionism and are using their agents, the intellectuals worshipping the West, to push their agenda. These agents are using books, magazines, newspapers and audio-visual means to justify the horrific atrocities of the Americans. It is not that the West is powerful; it is governments in the region who are incompetent and intellectuals who have sold themselves to the West,” he said.

“Now, a clergyman called Moqtada Sadr has emerged in Iraq, together with the Mehdi Army. They have terrorized the Americans so much that despite their huge technological superiority, the Americans are incapable of confronting them. In return, the Americans are committing every conceivable atrocity. They are massacring innocent Shiites in Najaf. Their modern helicopters are bombing residential homes of the people of Najaf. Their tanks are hitting Mehdi Army kids who are only 15, 16 or 25 years old. It is not a sign of America’s might; it’s a sign of its weakness. The Americans showed their weakness by desecrating the shrine of Imam Ali,” General Abuhamzeh added.

The general drew a parallel between the situation in Iraq and the challenges to the Islamic regime in Iran. He said, “The enemy is challenging the Islamic government in two ways. One way is to spread moral corruption among young people, who make up 50 percent of our society. The enemy is trying to spread the use of western cosmetics, disregard for women’s veiling regulations, prostitution, immoral films, illegitimate relationships, pornographic pictures through CDs and the Internet and satellite television. They want to corrupt our youths and destroy the engine of the revolution, the younger generation, thereby achieving their sinister objectives.”

General Abuhamzeh said there were those inside Iran who were calling on the Americans to attack Iran. He called them “incompetent cowards and rascals with no conscience” and told his troops, “You must be constantly on the lookout for them.”