By Xinhua
Baghdad : The U.S. military said its troops detained 15 suspected insurgents during an operation in the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday.
Acting on a tip, the U.S. troops captured the suspects, who are believed to be members of Iraqi Special Groups, in an area known to be frequented by a suspected commander of the groups network who is involved in weapons smuggling across the country, the military said in a statement.
The Special Groups groups militia extremists funded, trained and armed by external sources, specifically by Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Force operatives, it was reported.
The U.S. military said the Special Groups have evolved over the past three years into what are largely rogue elements that use a cellular structure to operate independently.
The U.S. military frequently accuses Iran of arming and training Iraqi militias to stir up chaos in the war-torn country. But Iran denies.