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Weapons Retrieved in Iraq Point to Iran
(New York Times) Tim Arango - Arrayed on a table at a U.S. base in Iraq are the killing tools from attacks on American soldiers over the last several months - munitions smuggled in from Iran, according to the soldiers whose job it is to conduct the forensic analysis of evidence collected from the battlefield. One item is a firing system for a 240-millimeter rocket used in a recent attack that killed American soldiers. Forensic analysis led to a member of Kata'ib Hizbullah, which is linked to the Iranian government. The work here, conducted by a combined joint task force, provides the evidence to buttress the recent claims of top Americans officials, including Leon Panetta, the secretary of defense, that Iran is behind the recent deadly attacks on American troops. In June, 14 American soldiers were killed by enemy attacks, the most in three years. Three Iranian-backed Shiite groups are responsible for 12 of these deaths, say American officials.