From Deseret News archives:

General says Iranian forces helped plan militant attack in Iraq that killed 5 U.S. soldiers

Published: Monday, July 2, 2007 9:02 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
BAGHDAD — Iranian forces helped plan one of the most sophisticated militant assaults of the Iraq war — a January raid in which gunmen posed as an American security team and launched an attack that killed five U.S. soldiers, an American general said Monday.

U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner also accused Iran of using its Lebanese ally, the Shiite militia Hezbollah, as a "proxy" to arm Shiite militants in Iraq.

The claims were an escalation in U.S. accusations that Iran is fueling Iraq's violence, which the government in Tehran has denied. It was also the first time the U.S. military has said Hezbollah has a direct role — which, if true, would bring a dangerous new player into Iraq's conflict.

Hezbollah has denied any activities in Iraq, saying it operates only in Lebanon.

Bergner said a senior Lebanese Hezbollah operative, Ali Mussa Dakdouk, was captured March 20 in southern Iraq. Dakdouk, a 24-year veteran of Hezbollah, was sent to Lebanon "as a surrogate for the Iranian Quds Force" to finance and arm militant cells to carry out attacks on U.S. and Iraqi troops, he said.

The goal was to organize militants "in ways that mirrored how Hezbollah was organized in Lebanon," Bergner said. Hezbollah is one of the region's most disciplined and sophisticated militant groups, able to fight Israel's military to a near standstill in a war last summer.

Story continues below
The general also said that Dakdouk was a liaison between the Iranians and a breakaway Shiite group led by Qais al-Khazaali, a former spokesman for cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. Bergner said al-Kazaali's group carried out the January attack against a provincial government building in Karbala and that the Iranians assisted in preparations. Al-Khazaali and his brother Ali al-Khazaali were captured with Dakdouk.

Dakdouk told U.S. interrogators that the Karbala attackers "could not have conducted this complex operation without the support and direction of the Quds force," Bergner said.

Documents captured with al-Khazaali showed that the Quds Force had developed detailed information on the U.S. position at the government building, "regarding our soldiers' activities, shift changes and defenses, and this information was shared with the attackers," Bergner said.

The Karbala attack was one of the boldest and most sophisticated against U.S. forces in four years of fighting in Iraq, and U.S. officials at the time suggested Iran may have had a role in it.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

previousnext

Latest comments

Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing

and they are correct. Good grief.

Utah's Wynn healing up

In the wake of a great, competitive game all people can talk about is Max...

For those who keep saying there are other places where you can go "to...

Boozer is just doing and showing what he has always had, Talent! As long as...

Pedestrian is hit in crosswalk, dies

Condolences to the LeBaron family! He was the mission Pres in South Africa...

I've enjoyed reading Dick Harmon's articles through the years. An enduring...

Jazz outrun Pacers

I think we have found our stride. But we need to bring in one more player to...

Jazz outrun Pacers

to make a move until nearer the deadline. You can't get the best player until...

"If this team had an interior Defense for 48 minutes they would contend. "...

What have you done for me lately, Boozer? Well, lately Boozer has been...

Advertisements