Info:
Iran-based Ahmed Foruzandeh, a Brigadier General in the IRGC-QF, leads terrorist operations against Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces, and directs assassinations of Iraqi figures. The Qods Force, designated under E.O. 13224 for providing material support to terrorists, is the regime’s primary mechanism for cultivating and supporting terrorists and Islamic militants to advance Iranian national interests. The Qods Force provides training, weapons, and financial support to surrogate groups and terrorist organizations including: Lebanese Hizballah; Palestinian terrorists; Iraqi Shia militant groups; the Taliban and Islamic militants in Afghanistan, the Balkans and elsewhere. The Qods Force plays a central – yet often hidden – role in security interests, including Iraq and Afghanistan. Qods Force officers often use various cover mechanisms – including diplomatic, non-governmental organization, humanitarian, and media – for conducting operational activity, belying their military affiliation;
As of mid-February 2007, Foruzandeh ordered his Iranian intelligence officers to continue targeting Shia and Sunnis to further sectarian violence within Iraq. Foruzandeh is also responsible for planning training courses in Iran for Iraqi militias, including Sayyid al-Shuhada and Iraqi Hizballah, to increase their ability to combat Coalition Forces. The training includes courses in guerilla warfare, light arms, marksmanship, planting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), and firing anti-aircraft missiles;
Foruzandeh and his subordinates provide financial and material support for acts of violence against Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces. In early-April 2007, Foruzandeh provided $25,000 USD to help fund military operations against Coalition Forces in Salah Ad Din Province, Iraq. Foruzandeh provided the funds to two men claiming to be members of a Sunni terrorist organization in Iraq, promising the men additional funds if they would deliver videos of attacks against Coalition Forces. Foruzandeh also offered to deliver weapons to the border, if the two men could transport the weapons into Iraq in order to fight Coalition Forces. Previously, in August 2004, Foruzandeh drove explosives and associated materials into Iraq from Iran for use in suicide bombings;
In addition to providing financial and material support for attacks against Coalition Forces, Foruzandeh supplied a certain Shia militia group with a target for execution. On July 25, 2005, Foruzandeh held a meeting with representatives of Iraqi Hizballah and other Shia militia groups, calling upon them to continue liquidating all enemies of the Islamic revolution, including security and intelligence personnel, tribal chiefs, and religious clerics;
Foruzandeh and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) funneled guns, money, and spies into Iraq and assassinated both Americans and Iraqis. And they offer hints that the man who helped Iran kill hundreds of Americans throughout the Iraq war may not have actually retired years ago as he let on, but continued to consult for his former boss long after the war ended;
In the early days of the Islamic Revolution, Foruzandeh worked with the IRGC to identify and arrest Arab dissidents in Khorramshahr opposed to the new government. His knowledge of the area, proven commitment to the regime, and background in underground work made him a natural fit for intelligence when the Iran-Iraq war started;
Title:
Brigadier General, Commanding Officer of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) Ramazan Corps
Former Title:
Deputy Commander of the Ramazan Headquarters and Chief of Staff of the Iraq Crisis Staff
Also Known As:
Ahmad Foruzandeh
Ahmad Fruzandah
Ahmad Fayruzi
Jafari
Ahmad Foroozandeh
Abu Shahab
Abu Ahmad Ishab
Born:
1957
Country:
Iran
Address:
Kermanshah, Iran
Qods Force Central Headquarters in the former U.S. Embassy Compound in Tehran, Iran