Shiite Militia In Iraq Believed To Have Been Trained By Hezbollah

July 2, 2008 6:08 a.m. EST

Baghdad, Iraq (AHN) - Two Iraqi lawmakers and a military officer on Wednesday claim that Hezbollah fighters have trained Shiite militiamen in southern Iraq before slipping into Iran to continue the training there.

According to the Iraqi officials, the training ended three months ago.

But they said the Hezbollah were also involved in planning some daring attacks against U.S.-led coalition forces. The most prominent was the attack at a provincial compound in Karbala in January 2007 which killed five Americans.

The revelation highlights the Hezbollah's expansion of its influence beyond Lebanon and its fight against U.S. interests in the Middle East.