Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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December 23, 2007

US Official Says Iran Restraining Shi'ite Militias in Iraq
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1AAE5B7:A6F02AD83191E160013B7CC5BB02DF532E7CA1C1B166B639& United States has
accused Iran's elite Quds force of supplying Shi'ite extremists in
Iraq with weapons, including sophisticated bombs





Mahdi Army militiamen celebrate the withdrawal of British troops from
Basra, southeast of Baghdad, Iraq (File)

A U.S. official says Iran has reined in the Shi'ite militias it
supports in Iraq, contributing to a sharp drop in sophisticated
roadside bomb attacks.

In an interview with the Washington Post published Sunday, the State
Department's top official on Iraq, David Satterfield, says Iran has
decided "at the most senior levels" to restrain Shi'ite militants.

Satterfield says the flow of roadside bombs from Iran may not have
stopped, but he says the drop in their use and a decline in overall
attacks must be attributed to an Iranian policy decision.

Iraqi police say a roadside bomb exploded Sunday in the Zaafaraniyah
district of southern Baghdad, killing two civilians.

Elsewhere, gunmen killed an Iraqi army officer near the city of Mosul
in northern Iraq. Also near Mosul, a car bomb exploded near a a police
patrol, killing one civilian and wounding five officers.

The Washington Post quotes U.S. ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker as
urging Iran to confirm a decision to rein in Shi'ite militants. He
says such a move would be a good start to a fourth round of talks
between him and his Iranian counterpart.

The U.S. and Iran have held three rounds of talks about Iraq this year
in Baghdad, easing a 27-year freeze in diplomatic ties. The last
meeting was in August.

The Post quotes Satterfield as saying Iran is not acting out of
"altruism" but out of alarm that the groups it backs are harming
Iran's long-term interests.

Iran denies U.S. charges that its elite Quds force is training and
supplying Shi'ite extremists in Iraq.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP.


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