Iranians stop giving weapons to Iraq: Iraq official

Baghdad, Feb 26: Iranians have stopped training and providingweapons to Iraqi militants in Iraq in the last few weeks to allow aUS-backed security plan in Baghdad to succeed, a senior Iraqi officialsaid today.

National Security Adviser Mowaffaq al-Rubaie told CNN there wassome evidence that Iranians had been supporting some Shi'ite militiagroups fighting US troops in Iraq.

''There is no doubt in my mind that recently in the last few weeksthey have changed their position and stopped a lot of their tactics andinterference in Iraq's internal affairs,'' Rubaie said in an interview.

It was unclear if he was talking of the Iranian government.

Washington accuses Shi'ite Iran of fuelling violence in Iraq.

The United States has drafted thousands of extra troops into Iraqin an attempt to crack down on insurgency and curb sectarian conflict.

US officials said this month that the Quds Force, a unit of Iran'sRevolutionary Guards, was supplying weapons to Shi'ite militia groupsin Iraq.

Washington has been particularly concerned about the so- calledexplosively formed penetrators, a sophisticated Iranian made roadsidebomb that the US military says has killed 170 US soldiers in Iraq since2004.

''Recently the Iranians have changed their positions and we havesome evidence that they have stopped supplying arms or creating any ofthese shaped mines in the streets of Baghdad,'' Rubaie said.

He said the Iranians had also advised some of their Shi'ite alliesin Iraq to ''change their position and support the government to givethe Baghdad security plan a good chance of success.''

Reuters>