The New York Times is reporting General Odierno said Tuesday that he anticipates an uptick in violence against US troops as they begin to depart the country. Intelligence reports have suggested that Iranian-backed Shi’a militias plan to turn up the heat against American soldiers to lay stake to claims that they’ve driven off occupying forces.
As Odierno noted, “For years, these groups have been talking about that they are forcing the U.S. to leave. It’s not necessarily what’s reality; it’s what they’re able to use propaganda-wise, and I feel they think this would be a huge propaganda tool for them in the future.”
The General singled out Kataib Hizbullah (The Hizbullah Brigades) and stated the group was likely to ramp up their involvement – the latter organization is a Iraqi Shi’a organization that’s been trained by the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard across in the Islamic Republic to harass US troop withdrawals.
According to UPI, the organization’s signature weapon – the Improvised Rocket-Assisted Munitions, which basically consists of a propane tank crudely packed with explosives attached to a 107-millimeter rocket – would be aimed primarily at US troops, as opposed to fellow Iraqi citizens. For what it’s worth…