Iran remains deeply involved in funneling arms and money to militias in Iraq – Military officials

NCRI – According to British and American military officials Iran remains deeply involved in funneling arms and money to Shiite militias in Iraq, reported the Knight Ridder newswire service. "That has made neighboring Sunni nations, such as Saudi Arabia, very nervous."

Lt. Col. Patrick Donahoe, who commands the 4th Infantry Division battalion south of Baghdad, said: "There’s an awful lot of money and influence being peddled by Iran. You had the head of Karbala provincial police in Iran for two weeks for a police conference … and (the mayor in the city of Hillah) orders my local Iraqi police to escort Iranian engineers from Musayyib to Karbala" to help build and repair Shiite shrines.

Should the trend continue, many analysts say, there could be a war by proxy in Iraq between the two nations. "The Iranians have problems with the Americans and they want to sort it out in Iraq," said Adnan Ali al-Kadhimi, the political adviser to former Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari.