United Press International via SpaceDaily reports that the U.S. Air Force is playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse over . According to UPI, American combat aircraft are flying into ian airspace to lure Tehran into turning on air defense radars to obtain future targeting data:
The flights, which have been going on for weeks, are being launched from sites in Afghanistan and Iraq, and are part of Bush administration attempts to collect badly needed intelligence on 's possible nuclear weapons development sites, these sources said, speaking on condition of strict anonymity.
"These ian air defense positions are not just being observed, they're being 'templated,'" an administration official said, explaining that the flights are part of a U.S. effort to develop "an electronic order of battle for " in case of actual conflict.
However, a Pentagon spokesman told UPI he was unaware of any such actions.
"We are not aware of any incursions into ian air space," said Cdr. Nick Balice, chief of media at the U.S. Central Command.
According to the UPI, the air reconnaissance is t aking place in conjunction with other intelligence collection efforts:
To collect badly needed intelligence on the ground about 's alleged nuclear program, the United States is depending heavily on Israeli-trained teams of Kurds in northern Iraq and on U.S.-trained teams of former ian exiles in the south to gather the intelligence needed for possible strikes against 's 13 or more suspected nuclear sites, according to serving and retired U.S. intelligence officials.
Both groups are doing cross border incursions into , some in conjunction with U.S. Special Forces, these sources said.
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