In a briefing, Green, commander of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, based in
the Baghdad area, cited both Iranian and Syrian influence in his area of
operations. He said Al Qaida and Iranian-sponsored fighters have been moving
in and out of Iraq.
"Many of our most important targets are individuals who have had some
migration or spent some time outside of the country with one of these
external actors," Green said.
In October, the Iraqi military and police, supported by the United
States, captured more than 150 suspected Al Qaida agents in the north, Middle East Newsline reported.
Officials said many of them were linked to the Al Qaida and Saddam Hussein
network in Syria.
"We do see Iranian influence," Green, who assumed his current post in
April 2009, said. "We also see some influence of foreign fighters or
insurgents, who have moved back and forth from other countries. I mean, I've
seen some that have migrated in from Syria for example."
On Oct. 11, Iraq was said to have arrested 18 Al Qaida suspects in Mosul
in an offensive against the Al Qaida-aligned Islamic State of Iraq.
Officials said the ISI network engaged in extortion of Iraqi businessmen.
"The Mosul extortion network helps fund the entire ISI network, which is
closely tied to Al Qaida in Iraq," a U.S. military statement said. "By
weakening ISI, the security forces in Iraq are also weakening AQI, thereby
increasing both security and quality of life in Iraq."
Green said Iraq and the United States were tracking the flow of fighters
and weapons from Iran and Syria. He said Al Qaida, despite a spate of bloody
attacks, continues to decrease in capability.
"Enemy capability has been significantly degraded over time but it's not
been eliminated," Green said. "On the other hand, we've seen some additional
targeting that we attribute to Al Qaida or other types of insurgent or
resistance groups."
[On Oct. 11, at least 20 people were killed in a series of car bombings
in the western Iraqi city of Ramadi. One of the attacks took place near the
police headquarters for the Anbar province, which until 2007 was a key Al
Qaida stronghold.]
Green said the U.S. military has been providing air reconnaissance,
particularly by unmanned aerial vehicles, to the Iraqi security forces. He
said his unit also supplies Iraq with illumination or
terrain-denial fires as well as intelligence fusion, metal detectors and
other equipment.
"These are enablers that normally would exist at the battalion, brigade,
or even the division level, but we've reorganized and pushed them down to
this element that supports an Iraqi brigade," Green said. "And so it gives
them
capabilities at their discretion that they can ask for quickly and we can
support them with."
