Exile Group: Captured Iranians Were Part of Elite Force

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- Two Iranians detained by U.S. forces in Iraq were senior members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards and had coordinated attacks against coalition troops and Iraqi civilians, the head of an Iranian opposition group said Thursday.

The White House said earlier this week that U.S. troops had caught a group of Iranians in a raid on suspected insurgents in Iraq. Two of the men had diplomatic immunity and were released them to Iran, but the other two were kept in custody.

Maryam Rajavi, who heads the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NICR), an anti-regime umbrella group based in Paris, said the two men being held were senior members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Qods force and were responsible for sectarian attacks in Iraq.

She cited the group's intelligence officials as the source of the information.

It was not possible to independently verify Rajavi's claim, but the group has provided relatively accurate information on developments in Iran over the past several years, including details on the country's secretive nuclear program.

Read the rest at the Washington Post

Related Link:
Iraqi President Talabani upset by arrest of Iranians by U.S. forces

Related Link:
U.S. Holding Iranians Seized in Iraq Raids

Related Link:
Iraqi president says security deal reached with Iran

Related Link:
Iraqi President Seeks Iran's Help