No proof Iran backing militants in NE Iraq - general [View All]

[Barrett808]

WASHINGTON, Sept 8 (Reuters) - A U.S. general in Iraq on Friday said he had no proof of Iranians supporting armed militants in his area, which stretches north of Baghdad and borders Iran.

The comments from Army Maj. Gen. Thomas Turner follow repeated accusations by American officials that the Shi'ite-led Islamic state is fueling sectarian violence in Iraq by funding, training and supplying Shi'ite groups there. But scant evidence has been offered.

Turner, speaking from Iraq to reporters in Washington, said he had heard reports of Iranians aiding militant groups and that weapons believed to be Iranian had been found. But he could not offer specific details about that activity in his area.

"I don't think we have any specific proof of Iranians in our area other than reports," Turner said.

"We have discovered caches or the Iraqi border police have discovered caches of weapons that look like they were abandoned quickly in their area along the border," he said. "There's not been a lot."

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