Petraeus: Interrogations Reveal Iranian Influence in Iraq

American Forces Press Service ^ | Sgt. Sara Wood, USA

[SandRat]

WASHINGTON, April 26, 2007 – Through interrogations of key detainees in the past month, the United States has learned a great deal about Iranian involvement in terrorist activities in Iraq, specifically the financing and training of insurgent groups, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq said here today.

The interrogation of leaders and members of the Qazali terror network who have been in detention for more than a month revealed that Iran provided the network substantial funding, training on Iranian soil, advanced explosive munitions and technologies as well as arms and ammunition, and in some cases advice and even a degree of direction, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq, said in a Pentagon news conference.

When these terrorists were captured, coalition forces discovered a number of documents describing attacks on U.S. forces, including a 22-page memorandum that detailed the planning, preparation, approval process and conduct of the Jan. 20 attack on the Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Karbala, Iraq, that killed five U.S. soldiers, Petraeus said.

“Our sense is that these records were kept so that they could be handed in to whoever it is that is financing them,” he said. “And there's no question, again, that Iranian financing is taking place through the Quds force of the Iranian Republican Guards Corps.”

The U.S. has learned more about Iranian involvement in Iraq through the detention of one of the heads of the Sheibani network, which brings explosively formed projectiles into Iraq from Iran, Petraeus said. This leader’s brother was in Iraq, and was the conduit who received munitions from Iraq and distributed them among the extremist elements.

“Those munitions, as you know, have been particularly lethal against some of our armored vehicles and responsible for some of the casualties, the more tragic casualties, in attacks on our vehicles,” Petraeus said.

The coalition has not found a link between Iran and the spectacular car bomb attacks in Iraq, Petraeus said, as many of these attacks are conducted by foreign fighters coming into the country through Syria. Also, the U.S. has no evidence that indicates how high in the Iranian government the knowledge of this involvement goes, he said.

Petraeus called Iran’s activities “exceedingly unhelpful” as Iraqi leaders and security forces battle al Qaeda, extremist militias, sectarian violence, and limited political capacity to rebuild society. The situation in Iraq is exceedingly complex and challenging, he said, and while there have been successes under the new security plan, perseverance will be needed for the coming months.

“Success will take continued commitment, perseverance and sacrifice, all to make possible an opportunity for the all-important Iraqi political actions that are the key to long-term solutions to Iraq's many problems,” Petraeus said. “Because we are operating in new areas and challenging elements in those areas, this effort may get harder before it gets easier.”

Biographies:
Gen. David H. Petraeus, USA

Related Sites:
Multinational Force Iraq

Related Articles:
Progress Continues in Iraq Despite Sensational Attacks, Petraeus Says

[SandRat]

and this is how the AFP (Agency French Press) reported it

US General David Petraeus, head of the coalition forces in Iraq, accused Iran's secretive Quds Force Thursday of helping an armed network that killed five US soldiers in January in the Shiite shrine city of Kerbala. Petraeus acknowledged in Washington that a complex and "very tough" situation existed in Iraq, but also accused Iran's Quds Force of helping an Iraqi network to murder five US soldiers in Kerbala.

On January 20, gunmen disguised in US military-style uniforms breezed past checks and attacked a provincial security building during a visit by American troops to their Iraqi counterparts. One US soldier died in the assault and four were captured. Their bodies were later found by Iraqi police.

The assault came nine days after US forces seized five Iranians from the northern city of Irbil. They are still being detained.

In March, the military announced the arrest of two brothers, Qais and Laith Khazali, in connection with the murders of five soldiers. Petraeus now says the Khazalis were supported by Iran's Quds Force.

"There is no question that the Al-Khazali network was connected to the Iranian Quds Force - received money, training, arms, ammunition, and at some points in time even advice and assistance," he told reporters.

The bloodshed in Iraq continued on Thursday, leaving at least 29 people dead.

The province of Diyala, northeast of Baghdad, was again a focus of violence when a suicide bomber blew up a vehicle at a joint Iraqi Army and police checkpoint, killing nine soldiers.

Another 15 people were wounded in the bombing in the town of Khalis, 10 of them soldiers, a security official said.

Diyala has become one of the fiercest battlegrounds in Iraq, the new focus of Sunni Al-Qaeda fighters who have been pushed out of western Iraq and Baghdad by an over-two-month-old US and Iraqi security operation.

In Baghdad itself, a car bomb in the southern Jadiriyya district killed six people and wounded 18, a Defense Ministry official said. Another five were killed in other attacks in the capital. http://www.dailystar.com.lb

In Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, gunmen shot dead the wife and daughter of Hashim Hassan al-Majid, brother of Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as Chemical Ali, police said.

Ali, a cousin of Saddam who served as his defense minister, is currently facing charges of genocide over the deaths of tens of thousands of Kurds during the 1988 military campaign in northern Kurdistan.

Elsewhere seven people were killed, including three Kurdish militiamen in Zammar, northwest of the main city of Mosul in north Iraq.

Deputy Premier Barham Saleh met with Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, on Thursday to discuss the country's security.

Saleh also met with other senior clerics in this Shiite holy city, including Grand Ayatollah Mohammad al-Yaqoubi, the spiritual leader of the Fadhila party, whose 15 legislators withdrew from the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance last month.

Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari arrived in Ankara Thursday for talks on an upcoming international meeting on his country's security, the Anatolia news agency reported.

Zebari, on a regional tour to drum up support for the May 3-4 conference of foreign ministers in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, was to meet with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul late Thursday before leaving Friday morning.

He flew in from Tehran, where he sought to convince Iranian leaders to attend the conference.

Iran is reluctant to attend, irked that the talks will also be attended by the US and other world powers.

Turkish diplomats have said Turkey would participate in the talks even though there was "resentment" in Ankara over Baghdad's failure to consult regional countries when choosing Egypt as the venue. - AFP

[SandRat]

FR WAR NEWS!

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All the News the MSM refuses to use!

Or if they do report it, without the anti-War Agenda Spin!

[gaijin]

Took over our embassy, kidnapped the brits, killed our soldiers....anything else?

[GOP_1900AD]

What are we waiting for? We’re 28 years overdue for doing the right thing.