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| Iraq |
| Shaalan sez Iran's in cahoots with al-Qaeda |
| 2005-10-16 |
| Iraq's former defense minister, Hazem al-Shaalan, Sunday accused Iran of helping al-Qaida elements enter Iraq with the knowledge of the U.S. forces. Shaalan told United Press International in an interview in London that al-Qaida elements "enter and leave Iraq easily through Iran before heading to Afghanistan," adding the U.S. and other Western forces in Iraq were "well aware of this fact." He insisted it was the issue of Iran's connection with al-Qaida elements that prompted what he described as the "campaign" against him, in reference to an Iraqi warrant issued for his arrest on charges of embezzling more than one billion dollars of military funds. Shaalan said the "campaign" against him was being led by Iraq's deputy prime minister and Iran's ally, Ahmad Chalabi, "not for personal reasons, but because of my criticism of Iran for its interference in our country." The Iraqi authorities issued arrest warrants for Shaalan and 26 other senior officials that served in the U.S.-backed interim Iraqi government on corruption charges. The former defense minister said since he returned to his country after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime, he consistently briefed the multinational forces on information he received regarding Iran's involvement in Iraq. "The coalition forces know these facts well, just as they know about the smuggling of weapons from Iran," he said. Shaalan added the U.S.-led forces in his country paved the way for Iran's interference in Iraq by leaving the borders open between the two countries. He said the foreign forces ignored his recommendations to withdraw their troops from Iraqi cities and towns to deploy on Iraq's borders. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |