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U.S. Says Iran Is Aiding Iraq Rebels
(Los Angeles Times) Peter Spiegel - Gen. George W. Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, accused the Iranian government Thursday of training, equipping, and directing Shiite Muslim insurgents operating in Iraq. Casey said there had been a "noticeable increase" in Iranian-backed attacks this year and implicated Al Quds Army, a covert special operations force within Iran's Republican Guard, as the unit orchestrating the campaign. He said the unit's participation also was a signal that the activity was being directed by the central government in Iran. "They are using surrogates to conduct terrorist operations in Iraq, both against us and against the Iraqi people," Casey said. Specifically, he said he had seen an increase in the use of shaped charges, which focus the force of an explosion to penetrate armor. U.S. and British intelligence say Iranians are providing the shaped charges and other weapons to Iraqi insurgents. Casey said there also were signs that Iraqi insurgents were being trained in Iran and in Lebanon by Iranian-backed Hizballah militants.