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Length: 3:03
MILES O'BRIEN: Now let's
go to Iraq. Fresh information surfacing overnight on
the whereabouts of the anti-American agitator Muqtada
al-Sadr. We're told the Shiite religion, political
and military leader is now, in fact, in Iran. Now is
he a primary conduit for Iranian meddling in Iraq?
CNN's Michael Ware is in Baghdad and he has the
latest for us.
Michael.
MICHAEL WARE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Miles. What we
have is a spokesman for the government of Iraq who
also claims, like the White House and U.S. military
intelligence, that Muqtada al-Sadr is, indeed, in
Iran. However, it's just one more claim to add to the
others. Until Muqtada himself pops his head up, we're
really not going to know where he is.
The other thing is, the fact that he's gone to Iran,
honestly, is no great surprise, Miles. The fellow's
gone there many times before. He's got close links
with the Iranians. This is not startling. The
question is, why has he gone this time. That also
remains unanswered, just like his whereabouts.
M. O'BRIEN: And I suppose a good question would be,
why this time is the U.S. making such a big deal
about the fact that he is in Iran?
WARE: That's the $64 million question. Is this just
part of a smoke and mirrors game, trying to beat the
drum? We don't know. Are they trying to make more of
this visit to say that he has fled, you know, in fear
for his life with the advent of an American-backed
crackdown? I mean, honestly, that just doesn't stack
up.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. Let's shift gears here ever so
slightly. The president yesterday talking about this
Quds organization or group. These elite forces or
commandos, if you will, of Iranians who, it is
alleged by the administration, are inside Iraq and
perhaps killing U.S. troops. Tell me what we know
about Quds. And, more importantly, what is the chain
of command? Who is their boss?
WARE: Okay, let's put it this way. Within the Iranian
military, there's two parallel streams. The most
potent, the best trained, the best equipped, the most
serious is the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Now, within that is a special forces unit, which is
the Quds Force. They're extraterritorials.
Now by that what we mean is, these guys are experts
at the dirty ghost war kind of game. They're very
good at going to an area, recruiting militia groups,
working with local factions, training them, arming
them, indoctrinating them, advising them and sending
them out into the field. We've seen them do it in the
Sudan, in Kosovo, in Lebanon with Hezbollah, in
Afghanistan with Ismael Khan, the warlord.
I mean these guys are like green berets on covert
black operations. Who do they answer to? The very
strict chain of command. Technically it's to the
Revolutionary Guard Corps headquarters. In reality,
according to U.S. intelligence and many others, to
Khamenei's office himself.
M. O'BRIEN: Michael Ware in Baghdad, thank you.
Soledad.