European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - July 3, 2007, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 6 stars and stripes blames Iran for deaths of 5 soldiers july 2007 by Lee Keath the associated press Baghdad the Mili tary on monday accused Iran for the first time of a direct role in an attack killing american troops in saying it helped direct a sophisticated militant raid in Janu Ary in which five soldiers the claims portrayed Tehran As waging a proxy War in Iraq through shiite the claims escalated accusations that Iran has been arming and financing iraqi and for the first time linked the Irani an Effort to its Lebanon Shi Ite Hezbollah the allegations were Likely to fuel an tensions and could endanger iraqi government efforts to hold a new round of talks Between the two military spokesman Kevin Bergner said the buds part of Iran elite re publican was seeking to build an iraqi version of Leba Nons Hezbollah to fight and iraqi forces and had brought in Hezbollah operatives to help train and organize our intelligence reveals that the senior leadership in Iran is aware of this Bergner told a Baghdad news he said it would be hard to imagine that Iran supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not know about the iranian foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad a Hosseini rejected the allegations saying american Lead ers have gotten into the habit of is suing ridiculous and false state 20 Karbala strike tied to Tehran Hezbollah said to be grooming Force ments without providing Evi with political and psycho logical Iran has denied past claims that it was backing iraqi militants including accusations that it was providing them with a deadly form of Roadside bomb the explosively formed its ally Hezbollah has denied having any role in saying it oper ates Only in Bergner said interrogations of an alleged lebanese Hezbollah Ali Mussa and an iraqi militant Qais Alkhaz Aali both captured in March in the Southern City of Basra and documents seized with them showed an extensive buds Force the iranian Force is providing up to million a month to iraqi militants and bringing them to three training Camps outside Tehran to learn How to carry out raids and Bergner a 24year Veteran of was sent to Iraq As a surrogate for the iranian buds Force to finance and Arm Mili Tant cells known As special the general the goal was to organize Mili Tants in ways that mirrored How Hezbollah was organized in Leba Dakdouk told his interrogators that the militants behind the 20 Surprise attack in the Southern City of Karbala could not have conducted this Complex operation without the support and direction of the buds Bergner the Karbala attack was one of the most sophisticated against forces in the Foury Earold iraqi up to a dozen fighters were disguised As an american Security team with false enabling them to get past Check Points to reach a provincial government building in where they opened fire with machine guns and one Soldier was killed in the Ini tial and four others were abducted and found shot to death soon an american service member was killed monday by an explosion in Salahuddin a Center for sunni insurgents North West of the Mili tary also reported the deaths of five service members killed in fighting sunday in attacks in Baghdad and Western Anbar prov violence appeared sharply Down in Baghdad and other parts of the amid an intensified Security sweep aimed at uprooting sunni insurgents and shiite militias in the capital and areas to the Northeast and iraqi police reported four civilians killed in separate tacks in a car bomb hit the Baghdad District of Zinouk in the killing four people and wounding Hospital officials Ahmad Kevin Bergner Speaks monday in where he said Iran elite buds Force helped militants carry out a january which five americans were 3rd i charged in Iraq killing the associated press Baghdad a third sol Dier has been charged with Mur Der in the death of an iraqi civilian and placing a weapon by the Vic Tim to portray him As a the military said Evan of was charged sunday with one count of premeditated Mur making a false official state ment and obstruction of the military said in a two other soldiers were charged in the Case last All three soldiers Are assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters 1st 501st in Fantry 4th brigade air 25th infantry based at fort the alleged killings occurred be tween april and june near Iskan a mostly sunni Arab City South of deaths in the associated press As of at least members of the military have died since the beginning of me Iraq War in March according to an associated press the figure includes seven military at least died As a result of hostile according to the military the a count is eight higher than the defense departments last updated the British military has re ported 156 deaths 33 18 20 bulgar 13 11 seven five Slova four three two each and South one death the latest deaths reported by the military no deaths the latest identifications re ported by the mint Aryl army Crow Grandview died thursday in Bagh dad of wounds suffered when his vehicle was struck by an explosive assigned to the 2nd Bat 16th infantry 4th infantry brigade combat 1st infantry fort five soldiers were killed thursday by explosives 2nd 12th infantry regi brigade combat 2nd infantry fort killed were army Shin army sgt Michael mar Chula army Giann Joya North army work Man 19j army from the associated press says iraqi sheiks still helping coalition despite recent killings stars and stripes despite recent assassinations targeting iraqi tribal leaders who have agreed to work with the some sheiks Are still working with military officials said Over the past several Days in the Abu go Raib District of local iraqi Security forces and american troops have recruited some new police officers from the tribes and according to military Many of those recruited were formerly people who might have fought against and iraqi government a lot of these people have not been sup porting us Over the past four Lawrence commander of company 2nd 5th cavalry was quoted As saying in a news just we have been Able to sit Down and talk with the local leaders on Why we Are at the same they Are realizing what a bad influence Al Aida has been on the part of a new strategy has been to seek alliances with tribal leaders who be Lieve insurgents have gone too far in their kidnapping and murder Cam in recent several tribal groups citing Barbaric tactics by insurgents have openly battled islamist insurgents in several but Al Aida and other groups have struck last a suicide bomber targeted a meeting of sheiks in a downtown Baghdad killing at least six tribal Lead ers who were working with this weeks recruiting drive in Baghdad came after a Call from local sheiks for reconciliation with iraqi and american military officials drj3ys save 10 with promo code
