Iran trained Afghan, Iraqi forces against US after 9/11, lawmaker says
Iran trained Afghan fighters and Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces to confront US troops following the 9/11 attacks, an Iranian lawmaker and former IRGC commander said on Tuesday.
Esmail Kowsari said Iran’s support contributed to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and forced American troops in Iraq to retreat to a limited number of bases.
“When New York’s Twin Towers were attacked… they came to Afghanistan and then went to Iraq, intending to attack us. But we dealt them a crushing blow. We had trained both Afghan forces and Iraqi forces – the Popular Mobilization Forces – on how to confront them,” he said.
He added that Washington would avoid deploying troops directly against Iran and would instead rely on “creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.”
