Iranian-Backed Militias Grow In Influence In Iraq

Eli Lake, Bloomberg: Inside Iraq's Iranian-Backed Militias

WNU Editor: These Iranian-backed militias will only guarantee more Sunni recruits for the Islamic State.

More News On The Growing Role Of Iran In Iraq

Iran's Militias Are Taking Over Iraq's Army -- Eli Lake, Bloomberg
Armed with U.S. weapons, infamous militia beating ISIS -- CBS
Unchecked militia with murky past fights Islamic State with US weapons: Report -- Yahoo News
Concerns Deepen that U.S. Allowing Iranian Takeover of Iraq -- The Tower
The price of relying on Tehran-backed militias -- Iranian.com
Obama's Pentagon pick worried about Iranian influence in Iraq -- The Hill

Senior Iranian Official Confirms That They Carried Out Air Strikes Against Islamic State Targets In Iraq

A picture taken on April 18, 2010 shows US-made F-4 Phantom fighter jets flying during the Army Day parade in the Iranian capital Tehran. Iranian fighter jets struck Islamic State militants in eastern Iraq in recent days, the Pentagon said on December 2, 2014, signaling Tehran's determination to confront the jihadists and Washington's tacit partnership with arch-foe Iran. Iran acquired its F-4 fighters from the United States before the 1979 revolution that toppled the country's pro-US monarchy. Reuters

Iran Confirms It Carried Out Air Strikes Against Islamic State Extremists In Iraq -- The Guardian

Senior Iranian official says attacks were carried out in conjunction with Baghdad government and not US.

A senior Iranian official confirmed on Friday his country had conducted air strikes against Islamic State (Isis) extremists in Iraq, saying the action was carried out at the request of the Baghdad government but was not coordinated with the US.

The deputy foreign minister, Ebrahim Rahimpour said the purpose of the strikes was “the defence of the interests of our friends in Iraq” who he defined as the Baghdad government and the Kurdish autonomous region in the north of the country, who are both fighting the Isis movement.

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My Comment: I guess they realized that their previous denials were not convincing anyone.

Pentagon: Iran launches Airstrikes Against Islamic State Targets (Updated)

Analysts said Al Jazeera footage showed an Iranian F4 Phantom jet over Iraq (Photo courtesy of Al Jazeera)

Iranian Airstrikes Target ISIS In Iraq -- New York Times

EHRAN — Iranian fighter jets conducted bombing raids against Sunni extremists in Iraq last week, hitting targets near a 25-mile buffer zone that Iran has declared along its border, an Iranian politician, American officials and independent analysts have confirmed.

The bombing raids, along with Iran’s support for Shiite and Kurdish militia forces on the ground, illustrate the increasingly open role Iran is playing in Iraq, officials say. But they do not mean Iran is interested in cooperating directly with the United States, they say, even though they are fighting the same enemy and have some of the same allies.

The attacks on positions held by the militant Islamic State forces took place around the end of November in Diyala Province, where the battle front is closest to Iranian territory, according to the Iranian politician, Hamid Reza Taraghi.

He also confirmed the existence of the buffer zone, whose existence he said was accepted by the Iraqi authorities some months ago.

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More News On The Pentagon Report That Iran Has Launched Airstrikes Against Islamic State Targets

Iran jets bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq - Pentagon -- BBC
U.S. believes Iran launched air raids on Islamic State in Iraq -- Reuters
Iran launches airstrikes into eastern Iraq against Islamic State militants -- FOX News/AP
Iranian jets join allies in the fight against Islamic State in Iraq -- The Telegraph
Recent Iran airstrikes in Iraq help drive Islamic State from 2 towns -- L.A. Times
Iran carries out airstrikes on Islamic State targets in Iraq -- Deutsche Welle
Pentagon Officials Believe Iran Attacked Islamic State Forces in Iraq -- WSJ
'Islamic State' presents indirect threat to Iran -- Deutsche Welle
Has Iran Launched Airstrikes Against the Islamic State in Iraq? -- John Beck, Vice

Update: Iranian Airstrikes on Islamic State in Iraq a Plus, Kerry Says -- Bloomberg

U.S. Confirms Reports That Iran Is Now Bombing Islamic State Targets In Iraq

Iranian Jet Struck Islamic State Targets In Iraq, U.S. Official Says -- Washington Post

Iranian aircraft conducted strikes against Islamic State positions in Iraq last weekend, expanding Tehran’s presence as a close ally of Iraq’s Shiite-led government.

“We do think they did do some airstrikes at targets in Iraq,” a senior U.S. defense official said, adding that “we have no reason to doubt those reports.”

“We’ve long said they have a presence in Iraq, contributing to helping the Iraqis against ISIL,” the official said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the matter, added that Iran has also been conducting overflights with unarmed surveillance aircraft. ISIL is one of several acronyms used to refer to the Islamic State.

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More News On The U.S. Confirming Reports That Iran Is Now Bombing Islamic State Targets In Iraq

Report: Pentagon aware of Iranian jets bombing Islamic State within Iraq -- Stars and Stripes
Iran launches airstrikes against Islamic State inside Iraq -- UPI
US official confirms Iran is bombing Islamic State -- Times of Israel
US defense official confirms Iran battling IS in Iraq -- Business Standard
Iran Bombing Islamic State In Iraq, U.S. Official Confirms -- Huffington Post
Iran bombing Islamic State in Iraq, US official confirms -- Al Bawaba
US claims Iran is bombing ISIS in Iraq -- RT
Iranian Jets Over Iraq? -- Tim Starks, Roll Call

Update: Iran dismisses bombing IS in Iraq -- Trend