Iran-backed militias, not Al Qaeda to Iraq: US official

Washington, Aug.17 (ANI): A senior US military official has said that Iranian-backed militias, not Al Qaeda are Iraq's gravest threat.

Major General Jeffrey Buchanan, spokesman for US forces in Iraq, said car bomb attacks that hit 13 cities in Iraq Monday did not seem to bear the markings of Al Qaeda.

He said militias are the greater concern because of the support they "are getting on a daily basis from Iran."

The Christian Science Monitor quoted Buchanan as saying that there are currently between 800 and 1,000 members of Al Qaeda in Iraq, and most are local fighters.

Foreign fighters "are really a trickle," he said.

By comparison, one Iranian-backed militia group, the Promise Day Brigade, has "several thousand" members, he added.

The US military is grappling with how to best prepare the Iraqi military to meet threats after US troops depart.

That departure is currently scheduled to take place by year's end, unless the Iraqi government requests that US troops stay longer.

Military officials including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen have been warning for months that the Iraqi government must make a decision as quickly as possible about whether to invite US troops to stay in the country longer.

With each passing day, some operations or training possibilities become "less feasible," Buchanan said, though he adds that even if a base were to close down and the Iraqis decided they wanted it reopened, that could happen as well.

The greater issue at that point, military officials warn, would be the expense - a growing consideration as pressure to cut the defense budget grows.

In any event, threats from both Iranian-backed militias and Al Qaeda will continue after US troops depart, even if that deadline is extended beyond year's end.

Buchanan said: "These groups aren't going anywhere when US troops leave." (ANI)