iran in iraq

American and Iraqi investigators believe that Iran was behind the sophisticated attacks on an American military compound in Karbala that killed five US soldiers January 20th.

The terrorists, bearing American identification, wearing American-style uniforms and brandishing American-type weaponry breached checkpoints by using police scanners to avoid detection, taking the most circuitous route to the military compound.

"This was beyond what we have seen militias or foreign fighters do," an American military official said.

Retired General George Casey spoke of Iranian involvement in Iraq as far back as last June:

"They are using surrogates to conduct terrorist operations in Iraq both against us and against the Iraqi people," the commander, Gen. George W. Casey Jr., told reporters. "It is decidedly unhelpful." He said that the Iranian assistance had increased since January and that this had emerged as an important factor in weighing further reductions in American forces in Iraq.

President Bush warned Iran not to interfere with Iraq.