Commander: Iran supporting militias in Iraq
CITY AND DATE Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno said Iran must be more helpful to its
neighbor, and stop supporting surrogate militias that are
destabilizing Iraq.
And, he said it's not surprising that there were fewer attacks
during Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent two-day visit
to Baghdad.
"We have no doubt they are still supporting insurgents,"
Odierno said. Asked if that was the greatest threat to stability in
Iraq, he said, "If you ask me what I worry about most, I do worry
about that as a long-term threat. And I think we have to, you know,
constantly watch it."
Odierno, who just finished a 15-month tour as day-to-day
commander in Iraq, said the U.S. military needs to "keep constant
pressure on these surrogate networks" that Iran is backing in Iraq
and keep talking about them so that people don't forget what Iran
is doing.
He added that he has no hard evidence to back the reports that
Iran is funding al-Qaida in Iraq.
