Attacks against Europe

Attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq with powerful Iranian weapons reached an all-time high last month .Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno, commander of the multinational corps, and in charge of day-to-day operations, confirmed that there were 69 attacks in April, using explosively formed projectiles, EFPs (Explosively-Formed Projectiles). It's nearly double over March, which saw 38 EFP attacks. The April spike killed 14 U.S. troops and wounded 47.

GEN. PETER PACE, Joint Chiefs Chairman says “There were more explosively-formed projectiles this month than any month in the past. To the best of our knowledge, all of them are manufactured in Iran. So, that's not a good trend”. Until now, such attacks had been dropping.

The U.S. intelligence community believes Iran is the source of many EFPs, advanced bombs that can penetrate U.S. armored vehicles, far more sophisticated than the improvised devices used by most Iraqi insurgents. U.S. commanders say Iran's Revolutionary Guard is mainly responsible for shipping the advanced weapon into Iraq. Some captured weapons show Iranian markings. The U.S. has stopped short of holding the Tehran regime directly responsible.

Odierno also confirmed that suicide bomb attacks have increased dramatically. 47 attacks in April compared to 22 in January. Still, there are some indications attacks are easing up in Al Anbar province, where Sunni tribesmen have been fighting against al Qaeda.