Odierno: Iran-backed Shia militia members responsible for 73% of Baghdad attacks on troops

Above: Soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division take cover and return small arms fire in the Sunni-dominated area of Dora in Baghdad on July 23rd.

Breakaway factions of the Shiite Mahdi Army militia - believed armed and trained by Iran - have stepped into the void left when American forces dislodged al-Qaida fighters in Baghdad, a top U.S commander said Sunday.

An estimated 73 percent of attacks that wounded or killed U.S. troops last month in Baghdad were launched by those rogue Shiite militiamen, nearly double the figure six months earlier, said the U.S. second-in-command, Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno.

"We knew this was coming, but there's been a shift," Odierno told The Associated Press in an interview as he toured a Shiite area of southeastern Baghdad. "Because of the effect we've had on al-Qaida in Iraq and the success against them and the Sunni insurgency, it's now shifted."

Odierno's comments hinted at the difficulty Iraqi and U.S. security forces face in keeping the peace once U.S. troops have successfully ousted mostly Sunni al-Qaida-linked fighters from any particular spot.

Read the rest at AOL News

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