Iranian Intelligence Infiltrates Karbala

Abdul Hussein Mahmoud, the caretaker of the mausoleum of Imam Husayn in Karbala alleges that Iranian intelligence agents have slipped into Iraq in the guise of pilgrims visiting the Shiite shrine cities, with the aim of destabilizing Iraq. Likewise, Hashim Abd al-Amir, head of security at the mausoleum, says he has discovered large amounts of drugs in the hostel of the Iranian pilgrims to Karbala. Karbala receives 500 pilgrims a day from various Iranian cities. (That is over 180,000 visitors a year if one extrapolates it out!). In another Iran-related story, US troops raided for the fifth time the offices in Baghdad of al-Alam, an Arabic language Iranian satellite channel. The troops apparently believe the al-Alam staff is somehow involved in mortar attacks on US soldiers in the vicinity.