BAGHDAD — Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has installed
proxies in Iraq, U.S. officials said.
On May 25, the U.S. military reported the capture of an Iraqi said to
have been a proxy for IRGC. The Iraqi was detained in a joint Iraqi and U.S.
operation in Baghdad's Sadr City, the bastion of Iranian-sponsored Shi'ite
militias in the capital.
"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," the U.S. military statement said.
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"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.
Officials said IRGC has recruited Iraqis to conduct attacks against
U.S.-led coalition forces in the Baghdad area. They said the Iraqis help
assemble and distribute advanced improvised explosive devices for use
against U.S. main battle tanks and armored personnel carriers.
Officials said IRGC proxies have been smuggling Iranian weapons into
Sadr City for attacks against the coalition. In 2006, they said, Iran
introduced the EFP into Iraq in an effort to destroy U.S. and coalition
armored vehicles.
U.S. and Iraqi combat units have targeted Sadr City in an effort to
balance the security operation in Baghdad. Sunni legislators have accused
the United States of limiting operations to Sunni neighborhoods of Baghdad.
