Iraqi Intelligence Chief: ' Iran Is Undermining Awakening Movements '

The head of Iraqi Intelligence, Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani, has come out and flat accused Iran of undermining the Awakening movements across Iraq. Now, this isn't a huge surprise in that we have had plenty of evidence of Iranian meddling in Iraq during the war but this shows specific targeting of the Awakening efforts.
Here is what Shahwani said:

"We have information confirming that Iranian secret services have sent agents to sabotage the Sahwa experience in Iraq,"

Now, what isn't said here is the exact details of what these Iranian "agents" have been doing - whether they have infiltrated to spy on the movements or if they have actually been involved in attacks or if they simply have assisted in training the Awakening attackers. What is a bit odd about this is that the vast majority of attacks on Awakening movements have been done by al Qaeda in Iraq. It would be a bit unusual to see al Qaeda and the Qods forces working together.
At the same time, the intelligence chief may be referring more to meddling in the recent Awakenings further south in Iraq - the ones that are in the vicinity of Sadr's Mahdi militia. The links of Iranian Qods forces and the Iraqi Mahdi militias is well documented and in fact, it has been brought out this week that Hezbollah (the Iranian backed terrorist group) was instrumental in the original formation of the Mahdi militias.

Here's the full story from Bill Roggio's The Long War Journal.

Iran undermines Iraq's Awakening movement
By Bill Roggio
February 27, 2008 4:15 PM

US and Iraqi security forces continue to pressure the Iranian-backed Shia terror cells even after Muqtada al Sadr's extension of the Mahdi Army's unilateral cease-fire. Today, Baghdad's chief intelligence officer said Iran is working to destroy the Awakening movements, while raids against the Special Groups terror cells have not abated.
The latest charge leveled against Iran is that Qods Force, the special operations branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, is working to destroy the Awakening movements that oppose al Qaeda and Shia terrorist groups. Mohammed Abdullah Shahwani, the director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, accused Iran of sabotaging the Awakening, or Sahwa, movements. The Awakening movement and associated Sons of Iraq (formerly the Concerned Local Citizens) movements have been instrumental in securing vast regions of Iraq during the past year.
"We have information confirming that Iranian secret services have sent agents to sabotage the Sahwa experience in Iraq," Shahwani said in a press release issued today. Shahwani is a Kurd who served as a brigadier general in a Republican Guard unit under the regime of Saddam Hussein. Shahwani later organized efforts to overthrow Saddam Hussein.
Several days ago, an unnamed senior Iraqi intelligence officer told Al Hayat that Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed terror group, was behind the initial formation of the Mahdi Army. Imad Mugniyah, who was killed in Syria on Feb. 12, was reported to have recruited and trained Mahdi fighters in Lebanon. The US has also linked Hezbollah to the formation of the Special Groups after the capture of a senior Hezbollah/Qods Force officer in Iraq in early 2007.
Both the Mahdi Army and the offshoot Special Groups cells have clashed with Shia members of the Awakening and Sons of Iraq movements. Special Groups cells have attack Awakening and Sons of Iraq checkpoints and murder and kidnapped members. The Mahdi Army has waged an aggressive campaign to prevent the formation of Awakening movements.
While Iraqi intelligence pointed the finger at Iran for attacking the Awakening and Sons of Iraq movements, US and Iraqi forces continue to target the Special Groups cells. Since Sadr declared the cease-fire on Feb. 22, there have been 11 raids against the Special Groups cells.