Roadside bombs on wane in Iraq

BAGHDAD — The number of roadside bombs and other explosive devices found in Iraq has fallen to its lowest level in two years, in part because of Iranian efforts to stop the weapons from flowing into the country, a top U.S. military official said Thursday.

Maj. Gen. James Simmons said 1,560 bombs were found last month, a steep drop from the 3,239 found in March and about the same amount reported in September 2005.

The disclosure was the latest in a string of announcements by American officials that have sought to portray the security situation in Iraq as vastly improved since a buildup of U.S. troops began in February.

Simmons said Iran, which U.S. officials have called the source of the deadliest bombs in Iraq, appears to be controlling the flow of weapons across its borders, in keeping with a pledge made this summer.

Most of the bomb attacks are now in northern Iraq, Simmons said, carried out by insurgents forced into that area after being driven out of western Anbar province and Baghdad.

Simmons said the decline included all types of roadside bombs, including highly lethal "explosively formed penetrators" — the signature weapon of Shiite extremists — that can hurl a fist-sized chunk of molten copper through the heaviest armor on U.S. vehicles.

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Iranians had apparently assured the Iraqi government it would stop the flow of bomb-making materials and other weaponry.

After the news conference, Simmons told The Associated Press the Iranian move followed "a significant amount of negotiations."

Last week, the U.S. freed nine Iranians detained in Iraq for months on suspicion of weapons smuggling. The release was seen as a possible response to Iran's move to curb weapons shipments.

Other factors also may have contributed to the decline in Iranian aid to anti-American groups in Iraq and Afghanistan, an official said.

Compiled from The Associated Press, The Washington Post and McClatchy Newspapers.