21 Iranians arrested in Iraq
Laptop Battery Saturday, 29th October 2005
Iran Focus
Baghdad, Oct. 29 - More than 20 Iranians attempting to cross into Iraq illegally were arrested near the border, according to an Iraqi television channel.
A report aired by the al-Sharqiya TV on Thursday said that Iraqi security forces in the eastern province of Diyala had "arrested 21 Iranian nationals penetrating Iraqi soil in the border city of Mandali".
It reported that an official who had asked not to be identified by name said, "The elements that have infiltrated Iraq are enjoying the support of Iran's Revolutionary Guards".
Iraqi, American, and British officials in Iraq have repeatedly accused Iran of backing insurgent groups and dispatching undercover military or intelligence agents to Iraq disguised as pilgrims.
Earlier this month, British dailies cited a military source in Basra, southern Iraq, as saying that there was evidence that the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were running training packages for insurgents, leading to eight British soldiers being killed in Iraq.
Maliki condemned the Iranian's arrest, saying he understood the man, who has been identified as Mahmudi Farhadi, had been invited to Iraq. "The government of Iraq is an elected one and sovereign. When it gives a visa, it is responsible for the visa, " he told The Associated Press in an interview in New York. "We consider the arrest ... of this individual who holds an Iraqi visa and a (valid) passport to be unacceptable."
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