DAR AL ISLAM-IRAQ: 240MM ROCKET, WITH IRANIAN MARKINGS, FOUND IN BASRA IRAQ

Iraqis find Iran warhead for medium-range missile

Coalition forces have reported Iran may be supplying medium-range rockets to Shi'ite militias in Iraq.

On April 19, Iraqi troops, as part of Operation Charge of the Knights, discovered a cache of munitions that included a 240 mm high-explosive warhead in Basra.

"The success in finding these large caches was also due in part by numerous tips from concerned local Iraqis," Lt. Col. Neil Harper, a spokesman for Multi-National Corps-Iraq, said.

The warhead, which contained Iranian markings, was said to be the most advanced weapon found in the possession of the Mahdi Army.

Officials said the warhead appeared to be part of the Fajr-5 medium-range rocket produced by Iran and transferred to Hizbullah in 2006. So far, they said, Shi'ite militias were not believed to have fired a 240 mm rocket in Iraq.

Other weapons found in the Shi'ite militia cache in Basra included 160 mortars, 25 artillery shells and a large quantity of explosives. Officials said the weapons contained Iranian markings and appeared less than a year old.

Officials said Teheran was believed to have supplied missiles with a range of at least 70 kilometers to the Mahdi Army, Special Groups and other militias in 2008. They said the rockets were meant to be used against the U.S.-led coalition and Baghdad government.

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1) Iraqis find Iran warhead for medium-range missile