KABUL – US Commanders worried over increased Iranian threat in Afghanistan.
There has been an increase in Iranian activity in Afghanistan that poses arisk to American and coalition troops there, a senior US commander said, asthe threat from Tehran continues to churn across the Middle East.
Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, the top US commander for the Middle East madean unannounced visit to Afghanistan this week. He told reporters travelingwith him that he is seeing a “worrisome trend,” of Iranian maligninterference, TOLO News has reported.
“Iran has always sort of dabbled a little bit in Afghanistan, but they seeperhaps an opportunity to get after us and the coalition here through theirproxies,” McKenzie said. “So, we are very concerned about that here as wego forward.”
McKenzie’s warnings come just weeks after Iran launched as many as twodozen ballistic missiles at two bases in Iraq where American forces arestationed. No one was killed, but several dozen US troops receivedtraumatic brain injuries. The attack was in retribution for a US dronestrike in Iraq that killed Qassem Soleimani, a top Iranian Quds Forcegeneral.
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Iran has long provided money, support and weapons to Shiite militias inAfghanistan. As the war in Syria heated up in recent years, Iran ran anextensive drive to bring in Shiites from Afghanistan and other parts of theregion to help support President Bashar Assad.
And as that war has wound down, thousands have returned home. Afghanofficials have expressed concerns that Iran is still backing and organizingthe militia members and that they could pose a threat to troops, residentsand the government.
McKenzie, who left Afghanistan Friday after a three-day visit, said thecoalition is working with the Afghan government to monitor the situationand prevent any problems.
