|
Trending Topics
|
Iran Using Hit Squads to Silence Critics in Iraq
(Telegraph-UK) Con Coughlin - Iran is using teams of hit squads in Iraq to silence critics of Iranian attempts to meddle in Iraq's new government, according to British security officials who are providing military support and training for the Iraqi armed forces. The hit squads were deployed after the Iraqi general election in May, when Iranian attempts to establish a controlling influence over the new Iraqi government were stymied by the failure of Tehran-backed candidates to win sufficient votes. "Iran is intensifying its campaign of intimidation against the Iraqi government by using assassination squads to silence critics of Tehran," a senior British security official said. In addition, using established Shia militias such as Kataib Hizbollah, the Iranians are smuggling weapons into Iraq for use against U.S. and other Western targets. In September the militia was accused of launching two attacks against U.S. targets - the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. consulate in Basra.