LOC12:18
09:18 GMT
LONDON, May 25 (KUNA) -- Iran has secretly paid Iraqi insurgents hundreds
of thousands of US dollars to kill British soldiers, according to a leaked
British Government document here Sunday.
The document, obtained by The Sunday Telegraph newspaper, contained a
confidential field report written by a British officer who served in Basra
during one of the most dangerous periods of the conflict.
The report, which has never been made public, showed that the full level of
Irans involvement in the insurgency for the first time, the publication said.
The document stated that Jaish al-Mahdi, one of the most violent insurgent
groups operating in Basra, used money from Iran to recruit and pay young
unemployed men up to 300 dollars a month to carry out attacks against the
British.
The findings have been passed to the highest level of the British military,
the paper said.
The leak comes at a time of rising tensions between Iran and the
international community, as Tehran continues to stonewall UN inquiries into
allegations that it has carried out research to develop a nuclear weapon.
In addition, the paper said the report details the activities of the
British troops under the command of Major Christopher Job between November
2006 to and March 2007.
In the report, Major Job disclosed that in the course of five months his
base was attacked 350 times. (end)
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KUNA 251218 May 08NNNN