BAGHDAD (AFP) – US and Iraqi forces captured an Iraqi militant accused of ‘acting as a proxy for an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer’ on Friday after a fierce gunbattle, the military said.
The joint snatch squad called in an air strike after coming under fire during a raid on the hideout of an alleged weapons smuggling gang in the notorious Sadr City district, a Shia militia bastion in east Baghdad.
Residents of Sadr City awoke to a scene of devastation in a marketplace with debris from the airstrike and rubble from buildings littering the area.
‘Although there were no terrorists confirmed killed in the fighting, the opposing gunfire was subdued and Iraqi and coalition forces moved on to the objective,’ a statement from US command said.
‘The individual detained during the raid is closely linked to a suspected leader in a secret cell terrorist network known for facilitating the transport of weapons and explosively formed penetrators, or EFPs, from Iran to Iraq.’
EFPs are roadside bombs designed to fire a chunk of molten metal through the toughest armour plating. The United States accuses Teheran of smuggling hundreds of the devices to Iraq, where they have killed scores of US troops.
‘Intelligence reports indicate the individual targeted is suspected of having direct ties to the leader of the EFP network as well as acting as a proxy for an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps officer,’ the statement said.
Iranian and US officials will hold a rare face-to-face meeting in Baghdad next week to discuss the crisis in Iraq, where both accuse the other’s forces of stirring up unrest.
In the last week, US and Iraqi forces have conducted a several raids targetting specific cell leaders in Sadr City, always accusing them of having ties to Iran.
