KNOW THE ENEMY

Iran, fearful of having a democratic and pluralistic Iraq next door, is sending hundreds of its spies to Iraq to foment unrest there, says a report.

The London Sunday Telegraph says these spies are posing as pilgrims and traders and have melted into the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Karbala and also into other lawless areas of Iraq.

The report says Tehran's hard-line regime also has allowed extremist fighters from Ansar al-Islam, a terror faction with close links to al-Qaida, to cross back into Iraq from its territory to join the anti-American resistance.