1938 Alert from The Australian, with thanks to Twostellas:
THE US believes it has the first evidence of direct involvement by Tehran against US forces in Iraq, suspecting Iranians were behind a January 20 attack on a military compound in Karbala in which five US soldiers were killed.
The news will boost the Bush administration’s rhetoric on the need to forcibly curb Iran – a stance creating increasing nervousness among European allies and in the US Congress.
Citing unnamed US government officials, CNN said yesterday the Department of Defence was investigating whether the attack, carried out by men wearing uniforms resembling those of US troops, was carried out by Iranians or by Iraqi fighters taught by Iranians.
“We believe it’s possible the executors of the attack were Iranian or Iranian-trained,” one of the officials told CNN.
“This was beyond what we have seen militias or foreign fighters do,” the official said.