U.S. military not confirming claims that Iran's government was involved in production of powerful explosive found in Iraq
BAGHDAD (CNN) -- A U.S. military official pressed by reporters wouldn't confirm Wednesday recent American military statements that Iran's leadership is directing the production of an armor-piercing explosive said to be supplied to extremists in Iraq.
This comes a day after the top U.S. military official cast doubt that the Iranian government itself was involved in the production and smuggling of explosively formed penetrators, known as EFPs.
"I think people want to make an inference. I think people want to hype this up. What we're saying is that in Iran these EFPs are being manufactured. Within Iran munitions are being manufactured that are ending up in Iraq. We are asking the Iranian government for that to stop. It all boils down to that," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell told reporters at a briefing on Wednesday.
Wednesday's briefing comes a few days after unnamed military officials told journalists about EFPs and said that the munitions were being provided to Shiite groups in Iraq by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's Quds force, which answers directly to Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
more:
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/02/14/wednesday/index.htmlAFP:
US military confirms Iran weapons allegations ~snip~
Caldwell said the initial briefing had been intended to publicly pressure -- "since we've been unsuccessful through other political means thus far" -- the Iranian government to cut off the supply of weapons.
"We're asking the Iranian government to assist in stopping that occurring. The reason why we have gone public is because it is a force protection issue... because of the devastating effect the EFP produces," he said.
Caldwell said the numbers of EFPs turning up on the Iraqi battlefield had increased by 150 percent between January and December 2006 and the weapon has been blamed for killing 170 US and allied soldiers and wounding 650.
The general backtracked, however, from a claim made at the anonymous briefing that weapons smuggling was initiated at "the highest level" of the Iranian government, branding that allegation as analysts' "inference."
more:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070214/pl_afp/iraqunrestiranus_070214144721