'Shia militia' behind Iraq blast
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/middle_east/7110988.stm Version 0 of 1. A US military spokesman in Iraq has blamed Iranian-backed Shia militants for a bomb attack on a pet market in Baghdad that killed at least 13 people. The bomb, hidden in a box of birds at the popular Ghazil market, also injured dozens on Friday. Rear Adm Gregory Smith said four people had been arrested overnight and that confessions pointed to an Iranian-backed special groups cell. He said the cell wanted the blame to fall on Sunni al-Qaeda militants. Rogue elements Adm Smith said the overnight raids and detentions were carried out by Iraqi and coalition forces. The group's purpose was to make it appear al-Qaeda was responsible for this attack Rear Admiral Gregory Smith <a class="" href="/1/hi/in_pictures/7109669.stm">In pictures: Market blast</a> "Based on subsequent confessions, forensics and other intelligence, the bombing was the work of an Iranian-backed special groups cell operating here in Baghdad." The BBC's Jim Muir in the capital says this is the name generally given by the Americans to rogue elements of the Mehdi Army militia who have ignored the call by their supposed leader, Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, to halt all military activities. Bomb attacks such as Friday's are generally linked to Sunni al-Qaeda militants. Adm Smith said: "The group's purpose was to make it appear al-Qaeda was responsible for this attack." He said this was to frighten the Shia community into supporting the militias as protectors. More secure The admiral said there was no evidence to suggest the Iranian government ordered the attack. But he said Iran had trained, funded and equipped the groups believed to be responsible. Tehran has regularly denied involvement in fomenting violence in Iraq. It says it is trying to stabilise its neighbour. Levels of violence have fallen following the deployment of about 30,000 extra US troops in the Baghdad area since the start of the year. The US troop surge has targeted both Shia militias and al-Qaeda fighters. Our correspondent says bombings used to be a daily occurrence until recently, but are now the exception rather than the rule. Adm Smith said the military had a "reserved optimism" about the decreased levels but he warned that militias remained a "dangerous enemy of Iraq". |