[Newsweek] Mark Hosenball - In his report to Congress earlier this month, Gen. David Petraeus claimed that Iran has a deadly new ally in its proxy war against U.S. forces in Iraq: a secret unit of the militant Lebanese Hizbullah movement called Department 2800. It was created "to support the training, arming, funding and, in some cases, direction" of Shia militia cells and turn them into a "Hizbullah-like" movement opposing U.S. forces and the Iraqi government. Department 2800's partner is the Quds Force, a branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps. Petraeus told Congress that U.S. forces captured the "deputy commander" of Department 2800. He was detained in March while helping insurgent cells in Iraq set up weapons deliveries, offering strategies for attacks, and even arranging for insurgents to attend training inside Iran. The Hizbullah rep was also allegedly involved in planning a January attack in Karbala during which insurgents dressed as U.S. soldiers entered a secure compound and kidnapped, then later killed, five Americans.
2007-09-26 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive