22 June 2006
U.S. General Says Iran Has Increased Support to Iraqi Insurgency
Iranian surrogates are being trained in Iran and Lebanon, Casey says
Washington – The commanding general of multinational forces in Iraq says there has been a noticeable increase in Iran’s support for Iraqi insurgents since January.
Army General George Casey told reporters at the Pentagon June 22 that covert Iranian special forces are adding to the complexity of an unstable security situation in Iraq by providing weapons, roadside bomb technology and training to Shi’ite extremist groups.
Casey returned to Washington from Iraq to brief Defense Department officials and others on Iraq’s progress. Appearing with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the general said Iranian assistance to Iraqi insurgents is “decidedly unhelpful.” He said Iran is using surrogate groups to attack Iraqi, U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and that some of the surrogates are being trained in Iran, while others are receiving training in Lebanon.
Casey described the security environment in Iraq as complex. Al-Qaida in Iraq has been hurt and is “feeling the pain right now,” he said, both from the loss of its former leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and from numerous raids made possible by intelligence obtained since his death June 7. (See related article.)
He said most of the sectarian violence in Iraq remains confined to four of Iraq’s 18 provinces and that a large portion of that violence is occurring in and around Baghdad, in Basra or in the province of Diyala.
Casey said he was pleased by the rate of progress demonstrated by Iraq’s army over the past six months as it has grown from one to three Iraqi divisions, from four to 18 brigades and 23 to 69 battalions.
His assessment of progress by Iraq’s police was mixed. In some parts of the country it is doing well, Casey said, but elsewhere there have been problems with infiltration by private militias.
Despite continuing problems posed by illegal armed groups operating outside the law, he also said the newly formed Iraqi unity government is taking necessary political and security steps to disrupt their influence. (See related article.)
Iraq is well positioned to move forward now, the general said. The new government is committed to unity, security, prosperity and a process of national reconciliation, Casey added.
U.S., IRAQ JOINTLY TO CRAFT A PLAN FOR FUTURE FORCE REDUCTIONS
When asked about a possible timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq, Casey said he did not want to signal any plans to the enemy nor did he wish to limit his own flexibility as the field commander.
Currently, there are about 126,000 U.S. forces in Iraq, down from an earlier total of 138,000. As the Iraqi forces assume a greater security role, Casey said there will be “continual gradual reductions” throughout the year.
Rumsfeld suggested that the reductions would not be carried out on “a steady path down,” but would fluctuate according to the rotation of troops. He said Casey must meet with Iraq’s prime minister and ministers of defense and interior to determine the best way to pursue the drawdown of U.S. forces.
For more information, see Iraq Update.
(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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