Finally, Rumsfeld warned Syria and Iran not to assist the Hussein regime.
"We have information that shipments of military supplies have been crossing the border from Syria into Iraq, including night-vision goggles," he said. "These deliveries pose a direct threat to the lives of coalition forces. We consider such trafficking as hostile acts and will hold the Syrian government accountable for such shipments."
Rumsfeld further advised that any entrance into Iraq by "military forces, intelligence personnel or proxies not under the direct operational control of (U.S. Central Command commander) Gen. (Tommy) Franks will be taken as a potential threat to coalition forces." Those forces include the Badr Corps. The corps, which has been around for years, is made up of Shiite Iraqis and is sponsored, sheltered and armed by Iran.
"We will hold the Iranian government responsible for their actions and will view Badr Corps activity inside Iraq as unhelpful," he said. "Armed Badr Corps members found in Iraq will have to be treated as combatants."
