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LOU DOBBS: Good evening,
everybody.
Tonight, the clearest evidence so far that the
government of Iran is fueling the insurgency in Iraq.
A senior U.S. military official says Iran has given
insurgents some of Iran's most sophisticated military
technology. The officials said those weapons include
the same type of missiles and rockets that Iran has
supplied Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Meanwhile, the U.S. military is firmly rejecting a
report by a former Halliburton employee that American
soldiers abandoned a civilian convoy while under fire
in Iraq. The military says the troops did not leave
that scene. The soldiers actually helped save the
lives of civilian contractors.
Michael Ware tonight reports from Baghdad on Iran's
increasing efforts to destabilize Iraq. Jamie
McIntyre reports from the Pentagon on the military's
strong defense of its conduct during that convoy
attack. And Bill Schneider reports from Washington on
a new opinion poll showing a rising number of
Americans that now believe the war in Iraq is going
badly. We turn first to Michael Ware -- Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Lou, while much
attention focuses on Al Qaeda here in Iraq, U.S.
military intelligence officials have also pointed to
the rising influence -- and interference, they say --
of Iran in Iraq. This is the other great dynamic
behind the war.
Many people believe while Al Qaeda may be the front
line, it is the U.S. contest behind the scenes with
Iran, which will really decide the ultimate fate of
Iraq and the U.S. mission. A senior coalition
military intelligence official has disclosed further
evidence of what he says is Iranian interference with
the provision of weapons.
For example, the U.S. military intelligence officials
says packages of C-4 explosives that have appeared
and been seized here in Iraq can be traced to a
fishing vessel that was picked up by the Israeli
defense force, en route to Lebanon, delivering what
he says was Iranian provided explosives to Hezbollah,
some of the same batch showing up here.
Also, again, we hear that Iran has been providing the
special requirements for the most lethal roadside
bomb here in Iraq. This is all part of an Iranian
policy, U.S. intelligence officials say, to
increasingly dominate and influence Iraq through the
use of surrogate political forces and military forces
-- Lou.
DOBBS: Michael Ware reporting tonight from
Baghdad.