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THE WORLD'S DAILY NEWSPAPEK
November 19, 2007
From news reports
As violence in Iraq ebbs,
role of Iran is examined
BAGHDAD: Violence was down 55
percent in Iraq since the U.S. troop
buildup began this summer, but it was'
unclear what role Iran played in the
downturn, U.S. officials said Sunday,
tempering recent optimism about
Tehran's waning support for militants
with warnings that more needs to be
done.
Washington has accused Iran of
training, arming and funding Shiite ex¬
tremists inside Iraq. In recent weeks,
U.S. and Iraqi officials have said that
Tehran appears to have halted the flow
of arms across its border into Iraq and
reined in Shiite militias.
An Iraqi government spokesman, Ali
al-Dabbagh, said Saturday that Tehran
had helped to persuade the Shiite cleric
Moktada al-Sadr to ask his Mahdi mili¬
tia to halt attacks. Sadr ordered his mili¬
tia to stop using weapons in early
September, and officials said that the
stand-down by Mahdi members had
helped improve stability. They said it
also seemed to have helped decrease the
frequency of attacks with explosively US. soldiers resting after a patrol in a village south of Baghdad. Iraqi and US. officials
formed penetrators, a powerful type of
attributed a recent decline in attacks to more troops and fewer weapons in the country.
bomb that can pierce heavy armor.
Since Sadr gave his order in mid-
September, the numbers ofunidentified in the U.S.-guarded Green Zone in hang.
bodies found on the streets of Baghdad Baghdad, continuing "to draw direct His execution was halted while the
daily had rarely exceeded a half-dozen. lines from that data to say that there judiciary and the government reviewed
When his militia was active, there were are fewer attacks and conclude that the case after objections from Kurds
often as many as 30 or more unidenti¬ there's a particular reason for it." and Sunni Arabs, who believed he was
fied bodies found daily. "The freezing He added: "Vis-à-vis Iran's action not responsible for the policies he was
of the Mahdi Army makes us feel they that is something we're not yet pre¬ forced to enact. (AP, IHT)
have good intentions," Dabbagh said. pared to do."
"Iran played a role in this."
Overall, attacks in Iraq had fallen 55
Dabbagh said that the turning point percent since nearly 30,000 U.S. rein¬
17 killed in bomb attacks
Dabbagh said that the turning point percent since nearly 30,000 U.S. rein¬
17 killed in bomb attacks
came when Prime Minister Nuri Kamal forcements arrived in Iraq by June, said
al-Maliki visited Iran in August and Rear Admiral Gregory Smith, a U.S. At least 17 people were killed Sunday
met with its supreme leader, Ayatollah military spokesman. Some areas were by explosions across Iraq, Iraqi police
Ali Khamenei, in the Shiite shrine city at their lowest levels of violence since and officials said, according to Reuters.
of Mashad. Maliki told the Iranian lead¬ the summer of 2005, he said.
Nine people were killed and at least
er that "Iran had to choose whether to Iraqi civilian casualties were down 20 were wounded in one of the worst at¬
support the government or any other 60 percent across the country since tacks in Baghdad in several weeks,
party and Iraq will decide according to June, and the figure for Baghdad was which the police said targeted Salman
which they choose," Dabbagh said. even better 75 percent, Smith said. al-Mugotar, an adviser with the Finance
The Iranians promised to help and Dabbagh also said Saturday that the Ministry.
have done so, hë said.
Shiite-dominated government was A Finance Ministry source said that
Dabbagh's comments echoed those of making renewed efforts to bring back Mugotar was unhurt in the blast in
the U.S. military here, who in recent Sunni Arab ministers who had been Hurriya Square in the capital's Karrada
days had gone out of their way to pub¬ boycotting the government for more district, but that his security guards
licly acknowledge Iran's role in helping than four months.
were reported to have been wounded.
to slow the flow of weapons into the He said that the government wanted Brigadier-General Abdul-Karim
country.
the Sunni Arab bloc to return and that Khalaf, a spokesman for the Interior
But U.S. officials said Sunday that it he believed a government with the bloc Ministry, said the car that was targeted
was too early to determine Iran's role in in it "was better than one without it." belonged to Satar Jabar, chief editor of
a recent sharp downturn in violence. In one concession, Maliki has made a the New al-Bayna newspaper.
"It's unclear to us what role the Iranians point of allowing a lengthy debate and He said Jabar was riding in the car
might have had in these developments, review on the execution of Sultan but was also unharmed. He gave a lower
if any," said Philip Reeker, spokesman Hashim Ahmed, minister of defense death toll for the attack.
for the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. under Saddam Hussein. In September, A Reuters witness at the scene saw
"It's difficult to read trends in reduc¬ Hashim was found guilty of crimes two burned corpses in the back of a po¬
tions," Reeker said at a news conference against humanity and sentenced to lice truck.
Patrkk Baz/Ag*nc
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