US Commander in Iraq General David Petreaus is expected to tell Congress this week that military intelligence has placed Iranian personnel in Basra helping the Shia militias fight the Iraqi army.Petreaus is also expected to call for a halt in troop reductions:Military and intelligence sources believe Iranians were operating at a tactical command level with the Shi’ite militias fighting Iraqi security forces; some were directing operations on the ground, they think. Petraeus intends to use the evidence of Iranian involvement to argue against any reductions in US forces. Dr Daniel Goure, a defence analyst at the Lexington Institute in Virginia, said: “There is no question that Petraeus will be tough on Iran. It is one thing to withdraw troops when there is purely sectarian fighting but it is another thing if it leaves the Iranians to move in.” US defence chiefs are concerned that the troop surge has overstretched the military. Admiral Mike McMullen, chairman of the...(Read Full Post)