Iraqi officials on US list of Iranian-backed agents, ministry says

GulfNews - Dubai,United Arab Emirates

Baghdad: US Security forces in Iraq have hundreds of names of people accused of links with special groups supported by Iran, including well-known politicians, sources in Iraq's interior ministry told Gulf News.

Last week's arrest of Ali Faisal Al Lami, a top Shiite Iraqi official who allegedly has ties with Iranian-backed militias is proof of the existence of such a list, the same sources explained. Al Lami is accused by the US of being behind a bomb attack that left four Americans and six Iraqis dead last June.

Asked about Al Lami's detention, the US authorities said that there were hundreds of wanted people, accused of cooperating with the Iranian Al Quds army, transferring funds to the special Shiite groups that were fighting US forces in Iraq.

"The Americans informed the Iraqi government that this list will remain within the responsibility of the US security apparatus even after the US-Iraqi treaty is signed" added the source in the ministry.

The US had similar lists of wanted people from the beginning of Iraq's invasion. The US famously announced 55 wanted people in a deck of cards and has added 200 more.

"These forces are special armed brigades that attack US forces in Iraq. The Iraqi government does not have any evidence that Iran supports these groups, but the Iraqi government has outlawed these groups, and they will be punished" said Hassan Sari, Iraqi Minister of State, told Gulf News.

Hashem Hassan, an Iraqi political analyst told Gulf News that there were several Shiite "wanted" lists, and he was certain that the US was able to get substantial information about these groups, when the Iraqi government recently carried out operations in Basra, Baghdad and Mosul.

The Iraqi forces that entered Sadr City last May and June detained dozens of wanted outlaws that had nothing to do with the special groups wanted by the US.