U.S. General: Iran's Threat in Iraq on the Rise

BAGHDAD — The threat to U.S. troops in Iraq from Iranian-backed militants has increased although it will not disrupt the ongoing withdrawal, a top U.S. commander said on Tuesday.

While the overall number of attacks on U.S. military convoys leaving Iraq has been "fairly low," top U.S. commander in the country Gen. Ray Odierno said "a very consistent threat" from Iran-backed groups has increased in the last two weeks.

Tehran is stepping up its efforts to increase its political and economic influence in Iraq as U.S. military capability diminishes, he added.

"There's a very consistent threat from Iranian surrogates operating in Iraq," Odierno told reporters in Baghdad. As a result, security has been beefed up at some U.S. bases in Iraq and joint operations with Iraqi forces against suspected Iranian-sponsored insurgents have been increased.

While the connections between certain groups of Shiite militants and the government in Tehran was "always very convoluted," Odierno was fairly certain of their ties to the powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, a heavily armed paramilitary force tasked with protecting the clerical regime.

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