BAGHDAD, Jan. 12 (UPI) -- The Iraqi government is urging the U.S. forces to release Iranians they arrested from an office representing the Iranian government in northern Iraq.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zibari said Friday his government was working on the release of five Iranians the U.S. forces captured in a raid on an Iranian liaison office in Irbil in Iraq's northern Kurdistan region Thursday.
Six were initially detained, but one was later released, the U.S. army in Iraq said. The troops confiscated computers and documents.
Kurdish officials in the autonomous region condemned the raid on the facility, which the government had earlier said was a diplomatic mission but later confirmed the office had applied for diplomatic status.
Zibari denied any link between Thursday's arrests and a similar U.S. troop raid two weeks ago into an office representing Abdul Aziz al-Hakim of the Iran-backed Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq. Two Iranians were detained at the time but later released.
The Iraqi government in Baghdad has not issued a position regarding what some observers say appears to be an American attempt to crack down on massive Iranian political influence in the country.
In an Iraq strategy speech Wednesday, President George W. Bush accused Iran of providing material support for attacks against U.S. forces in the country.
