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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria accuses US of cross-border attacks |
| 2005-11-01 |
| Syria has accused the United States of launching lethal military raids into its territory from Iraq, escalating the diplomatic crisis between the two countries as the Bush administration seeks to step up pressure on President Bashar Assad's regime. Of course, all the weapons and terrorists going the other way are no problem at all. Major General Amid Suleiman, a Syrian officer, said that American cross-border attacks into Syria had killed at least two border guards, wounded several more and prompted an official complaint to the American embassy in Damascus. He made the allegations during an official press tour of Syrian security forces on the Iraqi border, which the US claims is a barely guarded passage into Iraq for hardcore foreign jihadis. While showing off what he said were beefed-up Syrian border measures designed to blunt those criticisms, including new police stations and checkpoints, Maj Gen Suleiman alleged that his own border forces had come under repeated American attack. "Incidents have taken place with casualties on my surveillance troops," he said, near the Euphrates river border crossing between Syria and Iraq. "Many US projectiles have landed here. In this area alone, The charge follows leaks in Washington that the US has already engaged in military raids into Syria and is contemplating launching special forces operations on Syrian soil to eliminate insurgent networks before they reach Iraq. "No one I don't have a problem with Syrian border guards getting shot. Do you? In the Euphrates valley, however, the alleged cross-border fire fights are already a major issue. The Syrian military said that in May, in the divided village of Baghouz, which straddles the Syria-Iraq border about 350 miles north east of Damascus, Abdullah al-Hassake was manning a rundown concrete frontier outpost when he and fellow soldiers heard US helicopters. He went on to the police station roof to survey the impending battle between US troops and Iraqi insurgents, who flee to the border when under attack, and was killed by fire from the US helicopters. Syrian officials said that US charges that they were not doing enough to prevent insurgents crossing into Iraq are unfair. They pointed to new barbed wire and reinforced sand barriers across the 400-mile border, which cost £1.5 million, and claimed that they had deported or arrested about 1,500 foreign fighters heading to Iraq. Much of the border is impossible to seal. Across the divide, the continuing violence in Iraq is all too evident. Both sides have strong ties with the regime of the former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. "The people here are happy to help fighters go to face the Americans," said one local. But reinforced security on the Syrian side had made life harder, he added. That view is supported by some Western diplomats in Damascus, although US defence officials remain sceptical. "The Syrians have stopped actively encouraging jihadis to go," said one diplomat. "In fact recently they've tried quite hard to stop it." Across the Euphrates, the border appears to be the likely stage for a future showdown between the US and Syria. "Sometimes the US soldiers fire at us every day," said Ibrahim Brahim, a Syrian security official. "Sometimes it's simply a mistake, but sometimes it's not. Mostly the US army wants to show us its power." |
| Posted by:Pr0n flicks R us |
| #17 Bush should have the US embassy in Damascus pack up and sneak out in the night. Of course, there's probably some painintheass American tourists walking around Syria like they're in the Bahamas. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2005-11-01 19:09 |
| #16 And if the hard boyz were wacking the Syrian folks who dared to even attempt to detain them - who do you think the Syrians would blame? You last name doesn't have to be Rove to spread disinformation! |
| Posted by: Bobby 2005-11-01 14:15 |
| #15 It's not just the borders Syria has to deal with. It's the the former Saddam-regime-turned-financiers sitting in Damascus. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-11-01 12:34 |
| #14 Statement from the Department of State (of your dreams): We regret the recent inadvertant cross-border attacks by US forces into Syria. It was not our original intent to do this. However, we will not stop these attacks. But we regret them all, we really do. So please accept our present and future appologies, and for safety sake, please keep your heads down. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-11-01 12:23 |
| #13 |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2005-11-01 12:14 |
| #12 In a just world, Mr. Assad, not a scorched stone of your fascist state would be left standing. Forget justice, beg for mercy. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-11-01 12:02 |
| #11 Does anybody know if we have any "natural allies" in Syria besides the Kurds? I'm not familiar enough with the place to say, and everything I've heard leaves me very uncomfortable with the prospect of what comes after Assad. Islamists or failed-state civil war? Do we try to partition the place? All in all, I'd rather the Iraqis handled the heavy lifting on this one. |
| Posted by: James 2005-11-01 11:33 |
| #10 They'll have a far better understanding of the meaning of "lethal" when push comes to brutal mechanized beat down. |
| Posted by: MunkarKat 2005-11-01 09:35 |
| #9 If we're using maps provided by the CIA, I hope someone has had the decency to notify the Chinese Embassy in Damascus to tell them that fact. |
| Posted by: Phinerong Unotch8835 2005-11-01 09:02 |
| #8 I know of one anti-American, swishy boy asshat who is going to be bery, bery upseth thhat thhe US isth going to hurt Sthyria. See Here and Here |
| Posted by: Floating Stone 2005-11-01 09:00 |
| #7 Of course we're cross. Wouldn't you be? |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2005-11-01 08:23 |
| #6 "The people here are happy to help fighters go to face the Americans," A few TOT barrages should take a little of that joy out of the party. |
| Posted by: raptor 2005-11-01 07:52 |
| #5 "No, no. Don't shoot him. You'll just make him mad." ..... "Candygram for Mr. Mongo....boom" |
| Posted by: AlanC 2005-11-01 07:51 |
| #4 Lol, SteveS. So, so true - especially that last bit, heh. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-11-01 02:33 |
| #3 I'm sure it's just a few innocent mistakes. You know what clueless bumblers us Americans are. Wandering around the trackless desert, braving the harsh and brutal Afghan, uhh, make that Syrian winter, it's a wonder how we ever manage. Our guys probably forgot to take the batteries out of the iPods and stick them back in the GPSes. So sorry, but *do* keep your head down. And whatever you do, don't shoot at them. It just make 'em twitchy. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2005-11-01 02:00 |
| #2 I wonder if Syria would prefer to see a real cross-border attack.... |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-11-01 00:43 |
| #1 Syria accuses US of cross-border attacks POT -> KETTLE -> BLACK I don't have a problem with Syrian border guards getting shot. Do you? Not a bit ... keeps 'em out of trouble, Fred>. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2005-11-01 00:40 |
