munaeem | 30 November, 2006 20:22
Via the NYT: Hezbollah Said to Help Shiite Army in Iraq:
A senior American intelligence official said Monday that the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah had been training members of the Mahdi Army, the Iraqi Shiite militia led by Moktada al-Sadr.
I must confess, my first reaction these days to dramatic revelations from American intelligence officials, is to pause and wonder. Still, this makes sense, and is plausible. It is also disturbing.
The details:
The official said that 1,000 to 2,000 fighters from the Mahdi Army and other Shiite militias had been trained by Hezbollah in Lebanon. A small number of Hezbollah operatives have also visited Iraq to help with training, the official said.
Iran has facilitated the link between Hezbollah and the Shiite militias in Iraq, the official said. Syrian officials have also cooperated, though there is debate about whether it has the blessing of the senior leaders in Syria.
The intelligence official spoke on condition of anonymity under rules set by his agency, and discussed Iran’s role in response to questions from a reporter.
One would expect that Iran has been involved in training and aiding Shi’ite militia groups, and especially the Mahdi army.
By the same token, this leak could also be (as the story suggests) to undermine any recommendations by the Iraq Study Group that would include talks with Iran.
The claim about Hezbollah’s role in training Shiite militias could strengthen the hand of those in the Bush administration who oppose a major new diplomatic involvement with Iran.
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