Iranians 'trained Shia militants'
Pastor Dale Morgan
Iranians 'trained Shia militants'*
By Damien McElroy
Last Updated: 12:38am GMT 15/01/2007
Tensions between Washington and Teheran deepened yesterday after the
American military accused five Iranians detained by its forces in Iraq
of helping to supply cash, weapons and training to Shia militias on
behalf of the Iranian regime.
Iran rejected the claims of collusion with Iraq's Shia Muslim militants
and demanded the release of the officials, who were stationed at a
liaison office in Irbil, the capital of Kurdish northern Iraq.
Condoleezza Rice: America would no longer tolerate Teheran's support for
armed groups in Iraq
A statement from the US military said: "Preliminary results revealed the
five detainees are connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Qods
Force, an organisation known for providing funds, weapons, IEDs
[roadside bombs], technology and training to extremist groups attempting
to destabilise the government of Iraq and attack coalition forces."
Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state who is touring the Middle
East, said America would no longer tolerate Teheran's support for armed
groups in Iraq.
She revealed at the weekend that President George W Bush had issued a
standing order to the military to target covert Iranian activities.
She said: "I think there is plenty of evidence that there is Iranian
involvement with these networks that are making high-explosive [bombs]
and that they are endangering our troops, and that's going to be dealt
with."
Dick Cheney, the US Vice-President, also warned Iran last night that it
should desist from assisting its Shia allies in Iraq.
Mr Cheney said. "I think it's been pretty well-known that Iran is
fishing in troubled waters, if you will, inside Iraq. The threat that
Iran represents is growing, it's multi-dimensional, and it is, in fact,
of concern to everybody in the region."
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Iran's foreign ministry claimed that the arrested men were working in a
consulate and entitled to diplomatic immunity.
Mohammad Ali Hosseini, the foreign ministry's spokesman, said:
"Americans should immediately release the five Iranians and pay
compensation for the damages they caused to our office in Irbil."
Hoshyar Zebari, Iraq's foreign minister, conceded that the office had
not yet been granted consular status but he appealed for America to
recognise the political sensitivities involved.
"We can't change the geographical reality that Iran is our neighbour,"
he said. "This is a delicate balance and we are treading a very thin line."
Officials in Baghdad yesterday predicted that the seized Iranians would
be released this week, claiming high ranking officials named in
intelligence documents had evaded capture.
Allegations that Iranian Revolutionary Guard officers supplied weapons
and know- how to Iraqi militias first surfaced 15 months ago after
British troops in Basra were killed by a series of roadside bombs
designed to penetrate armour plating.
In recent months such devices have killed US soldiers.
Coalition commanders accuse the paramilitary Iranian Revolutionary Guard
of providing bomb-making skills and sniper training to Iraqi militias in
bases on Iran's side of the border.
The Madhi Army, the biggest militia in central Iraq, started off as an
organised rabble but now boasts hundreds of skilled guerrillas, adept in
the techniques of urban warfare.
As Shia groups have gained in strength the balance of killing in Iraq
has tilted.
Iraq's most senior Sunni politician, the vice-president, Tariq
al-Hashemi, said at the weekend that the majority of victims of the
sectarian conflict are from his community.
• President Bashar al-Asad of Syria welcomed his Iraqi counterpart,
Jalal Talabani, to Damascus yesterday in the hope of bolstering
diplomatic relations between the neighbouring countries.
In what was hailed as a landmark visit that came despite the hostile
position President Bush has taken on Syria, Mr Talabani arrived to a
warm reception ahead of five days of negotiations over trade and
security issues.