Did Iranian operatives attack and kill US troops in Karbala earlier this month?

CNN is reporting that the Pentagon is investigating the possibility that Iranian operatives (or those trained by Iranians) attacked and killed US troops in Karbala back on January 20th:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The Pentagon is investigating whether a recent attack on a military compound in Karbala was carried out by Iranians or Iranian-trained operatives, two officials from separate U.S. government agencies said.

“People are looking at it seriously,” one of the officials said.

That official added the Iranian connection was a leading theory in the investigation into the January 20 attack that killed five soldiers.

The second official said: “We believe it’s possible the executors of the attack were Iranian or Iranian-trained.”

Five U.S. soldiers were abducted and killed in the sophisticated attack by men wearing U.S.-style uniforms, according to U.S. military reports. (Watch how attackers got into the compound )

Both officials stressed the Iranian-involvement theory is a preliminary view, and there is no final conclusion. They agreed this possibility is being looked at because of the sophistication of the attack and the level of coordination.

“This was beyond what we have seen militias or foreign fighters do,” the second official said.

The investigation has led some officials to conclude the attack was an “inside job” — that people inside the compound helped the attackers enter unstopped.

Bill Roggio, who is embedded with a Marine and Army transition team in Iraq, writes:

The United States had planned to detail Iran’s involvement in supporting the Shia death squads, as well as the Sunni insurgency, al-Qaeda in Iraq and Ansar al-Sunnah during a press briefing with Major General Bill Caldwell on Wednesday at 7:00 am Eastern. The briefing was purported to have detailed “specifics including shipping documents, serial numbers, maps and other evidence which officials say would irrefutably link Iran to weapons shipments to Iraq.”

The Bush administration has decided to put the briefing “on hold for several reasons, including concerns over the reaction from Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad β€” as well as inevitable follow-up questions that would be raised over what the U.S. should do about it,” according to FOX News.

Stay tuned.

Read more via Captain Ed, Greg Tinti, James Joyner, Dan Riehl, Tigerhawk

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