US accuses Iran of training Iraqi militias

BAGHDAD: Iran is providing weapons and training to militias and extremist groups in Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US Ambassador to Iraq, charged on Monday.

"Iran has a mixed policy towards Iraq," he told a news conference.

On the one hand it had good state-to-state relations with the Shiite-dominated government, but it has "another policy as well which is to work with some militias, to work with some extremist groups, to provide training and to provide weapons, directly or indirectly," Khalilzad said.

"Iraqis are increasingly concerned about the role Iran is playing," he added.

US authorities are particularly worried about the growing influence of Shiite militias which are alleged to have infiltrated Iraq's interior ministry.

Khalilzad also slammed a call made last week by Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki for British forces, belonging to the US-led coalition, to leave southern Iraq, saying this was "uncalled for interference" in Iraq's internal affairs.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari also said on Sunday that Mottaki's calls were "unacceptable", adding that "only the Iraqi government is allowed to decide the fate of these troops".

Iran's attempt to stir trouble could be linked to attempts to distract public opinion away from the nuclear question, the ambassador said, referring to international fears Tehran is seeking to built an atomic weapon.