US captures Iranian militia facilitator

Jerusalem Post:

US soldiers in Baghdad captured an Iraqi arms dealer and "assassination squad" leader responsible for trafficking Shi'ite extremists in and out of neighboring Iran for training, the military said Sunday.

The arrest reinforced long-standing US allegations that Iran arms, trains and funds Shi'ite Muslim militiamen inside Iraq - charges that Teheran denies. It also coincided with a two-day visit to Iran by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, his second such trip in a year.

...

The US arrest campaign against Shi'ite militiamen with alleged ties to Iran was likely to be on the agenda for al-Maliki's talks with Iranian officials.

US soldiers, acting on intelligence from other Shi'ite militiamen already in custody, captured the Basra-based "special groups" leader late Saturday at a hideout in eastern Baghdad, according to a military statement.

"The wanted man is alleged to be a commander of an assassination squad in Basra, an arms dealer with connections to Iran and a document counterfeiter," the statement said.

He also arranges transportation of criminals into Iran for training, and then back into Iraq, it said. One of the leader's aides was also arrested without incident.

...


This report appears to confirm my instincts about the Maliki trip. It also suggest that the crack down on the militia is starting to have a cascading effect on the capture of its leadership. I would not be surprised to seen many more such arrest in the coming weeks.

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