Adm. Mullen: Flow of arms from Iran to Iraqi militias widens

09 July 2011 | 19:34 Code : 14471 Latest Headlines

USATODAY--Iran is expanding its support for extremist militias in neighboring Iraq as the United States prepares to withdraw its forces there by year's end, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday. Iran is expanding its support for extremist militias in neighboring Iraq as the United States prepares to withdraw its forces there by year's end, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.

Iran is very directly supporting extremist Shiia groups, which are killing our troops," Adm. Michael Mullen said during a lunch with Pentagon reporters.

"Iran is very directly supporting extremist Shia groups, which are killing our troops," Adm. Michael Mullen said during a lunch with Pentagon reporters.

Mullen said the flow of weapons from Iran is done with the knowledge of Tehran's top leadership, but he stopped short of saying whether they were encouraging it.

Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the flow of weapons from Iran is done with the knowledge of Tehran's top leadership, but he stopped short of saying whether they were encouraging it. "They know about it," Mullen said of Iran's top leadership.

"They know about it," Mullen said of Iran's top leadership.

There are 46,000 U.S. troops in Iraq now, and under an agreement with the United States all of the troops are to depart by the end of this year. But some observers say the U.S. should maintain a military presence in the country to prevent Iran from ruining a democratic Iraq that arose following the ouster of Saddam Hussein's regime at a cost of 4,471 U.S. servicemembers.

Iraq Gen. Babaker Shawkat Zebari has said Iraqi security forces will not be ready to handle the country's security needs for another several years, and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., has pushed for the maintenance of a long-term U.S. presence. Leading Democrats such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., oppose the idea.

The Pentagon has accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of supplying weapons to Shiite militias fighting U.S. and Iraqi forces. Iranian involvement in Iraq has ebbed and flowed over the years, according to the Pentagon.

The Pentagon has said Iran is linked to armor-piercing roadside bombs and improvised rocket-assisted mortars, sophisticated weapons systems that can give the militants a deadly edge over their adversaries.

The increase in Iranian weapons may be behind a recent spike in violence in Iraq. Fifteen U.S. troops died in Iraq in June, making it the deadliest month in Iraq for U.S. troops in two years. Terror bombings against Iraqi civilians have also been on the rise.

On Thursday, two U.S. soldiers were killed outside the main military base in Baghdad. The Associated Press, citing two unnamed military officials, said they were killed by the type of armor-piercing bomb that has been linked to Iran. Iran has denied supporting terror attacks in Iraq.

A largely Shiite country, Iran has supported Shiite militias that have fought both U.S. forces and the Iraqi government.

Shiites are a majority in Iraq but, until the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Saddam Hussein ensured that Sunnis dominated his dictatorship.

Iranian support for the militias in Iraq seemed to taper off toward the end of 2007, as overall violence declined, according to military statistics.

"We're now seeing it increase," Mullen said.

U.S. and Iraqi officials are currently negotiating the possibility of a U.S. military presence beyond the end of this year.

Mullen said the latest spike in involvement suggests that Iran might want to falsely claim credit for driving the United States from Iraq.

"It has nothing to do with us leaving," he said.