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Iranian officer 'seized in Iraq' | Iranian officer 'seized in Iraq' |
(40 minutes later) | |
US-led forces in Iraq say they have arrested an Iranian officer operating in the north of the country. | US-led forces in Iraq say they have arrested an Iranian officer operating in the north of the country. |
They say the man was a member of the Quds Force - an elite unit of Iran's Revolutionary Guards - and was detained in the Kurdish city of Sulaimaniya. | |
"This individual has been involved in transporting improvised explosive devices," the American military said. | "This individual has been involved in transporting improvised explosive devices," the American military said. |
The US has accused the Quds Force of helping arm Shia militias in Iraq. Iran denies any involvement with militants. | The US has accused the Quds Force of helping arm Shia militias in Iraq. Iran denies any involvement with militants. |
A statement by the US military said the arrested man had been involved in the "infiltration and training of foreign terrorists in Iraq". | |
According to a spokesman for the regional government in semi-autonomous Kurdistan, he was taken away overnight in a raid on a Sulaimaniya hotel. | |
A government official in Baghdad said the arrested man had been part of a commercial delegation, but gave no further details. | |
Tehran says it supports the US-backed Iraqi government, and blames the violence on the continuing conflicts within Iraq since US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. | Tehran says it supports the US-backed Iraqi government, and blames the violence on the continuing conflicts within Iraq since US-led forces toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. |