[anotherview]

Syria involved? Who's have thunk it?

We need to deal with Syria and Iran sooner, not later.

[Enterprise]

Yo Syria - I got a finger pointed at you and it ain't oblique.

[Catspaw]

Oblique? Not a chance in Hades.

[bayourod]

The appropriate response would be for the new government of Iraq to consider a declaration of war (or similar rsolution) against Syria, and then request international (ie..US)aid in repelling the aggression.

[misterrob]

But Mouwafak al-Rabii, a Shiite Muslim member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, said the United States must speed up the training of Iraqi police and soldiers and employ ruthless measures to crush the insurgency.

"There is no doubt about it that we need to change the rules of engagement with these people," al-Rabii told CNN. "The rules of engagement now are too lenient."

---

Amen. Maybe if we let the Muslims apply some of their own brand of justice to these terrorists then maybe someone might think twice. And perhaps the message should be that someday when Iraq is up on its feet that there will be some payback for Syrian, Saudi and Iranian interference.

[thoughtomator]

The only target on their minds is the front page of the New York Times.

[Arpege92]

Why aren't Muslims outraged about the numerous deaths of Iraqi's caused by fellow Muslims? Isn't it against there religion to harm other Muslims.

The time will come when Iraqi's will dish out a little justice!

[sonsofliberty2000]

Time to get Operation PO'd operational and rolling. On to Damascus!

Patriot Paradox

[mountaineer]

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A U.S. general said the one attacker captured in the bombings that killed 34 Monday had a Syrian passport, fueling suspicions that foreign fighters were behind a rising tide of violence.

Brig. Gen. Mark Hertling of the U.S. Army's 1st Armored Division said police shot and wounded the man when he got out of a car and tried to hurl a grenade at a Baghdad police station. The car carried three mortar rounds and was packed with TNT, he said.

"He's a foreign fighter. He had a Syrian passport and the policemen claim that as he was shot and fell that he said he was Syrian," Hertling told a news conference.

Iraqi Deputy Interior Minister Ahmad Ibrahim told the news conference the wounded attacker was now unconscious in hospital.

Hertling said suicide attacks were not typical of supporters of ousted Iraqi president Saddam Hussein, who have been blamed by the U.S. military for most of guerrilla attacks on its troops and other targets in postwar Iraq.

"There are indicators that certainly these attacks have a mode of operation of foreign fighters," Hertling said, adding that possible foreign links among the attackers would be investigated in the days to come.

Thirty-four people were killed, including eight police officers, in the suicide attacks on three other police stations and the Red Cross headquarters, Ibrahim said. Another 224 people were wounded, 65 of them police. One of the bombers, driving an Iraqi police car and wearing a police uniform, was admitted to a police compound before blowing himself and the station up, Hertling said.

He described the attacks as coordinated but said the coordination was not very sophisticated, extending no further than a decision by the various attackers to set off their bombs between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.

"That's not professional, it's actually somewhat amateurish," Hertling said.

There was no indication that Monday's bombings were related to a Sunday rocket attack on a fortified Baghdad hotel where U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Paul Wolfowitz was staying, Hertling said. A U.S. soldier was killed and 17 people were wounded in that attack, but Wolfowitz was unhurt.
source

[Keith]

Time to put a hit on Bashir Assad. Right freaking now.

[John_11_25]

Since the major hostilities ended there has been too many freepers )including myself) talking about closing the border with Syria and Iran.

It appears the US does not have too much sucess with borders and letting terorists/criminals/illegals in or out case in point (Canada and Mexico).

So it needs to learn fast, Freepers could see what was about to happen a long time ago. And now these people are established, weapons staches and safe houses etc. There is going to be hell to pay.

And the CIA just reported the militias that are there are not going to run out of weapons any time soon.

So we are not talking about a syrian running over the border like in Mexico, we are talking arms shipments.

So where the hell is the sophisticated Technology when you need it.

[palmer]

A simpler explanation is Saddam left a bunch of well armed and trained goons behind. If he's smart he would have set them up to cause chaos and then hide until we leave.

[Argus]

Mouwafak al-Rabii, a Shiite Muslim member of the U.S.-appointed Iraqi Governing Council, said the United States must speed up the training of Iraqi police and soldiers and employ ruthless measures to crush the insurgency. "There is no doubt about it that we need to change the rules of engagement with these people," al-Rabii told CNN. "The rules of engagement now are too lenient."

At least somebody gets it.

[anotherview]

bump

[RightWhale]

Were these attacks actually on the first day of Ramadan?

[tet68]

"Of course we don't understand why somebody would attack the Red Cross," she said. "The Red Cross has operated in this country since 1980, and we have not been involved in politics."

"Wwwe,we thought we were exempt!?!?!

Doh!

[TheBattman]

I'm trying to figure out this bit of puzzle -

Durring the war, we kept hearing screams about "innocent civilians" being killed - 3 here, 6 there, a carload here. The media creeps and the international community (Germany, France, etc.) kept pushing how evil the Americans are for the civilian deaths. Now we have Islamists killing civilians and destroying infrastructure and the international community is saying nothing - it must be America's fault.....arrggghghhhh...

[witnesstothefall]

Empty gestures only encourage terrorists. Ask Clinton.

[Beck_isright]

Why Syria isn't a smoking smoldering black hole in the ground is a mystery to me.

[fly_so_free]

Do they have a "neighborhood watch" type program in Iraq? They need to put one in fast if they don't. The point also needs to be re- enforced, How these attacks hurt the Iraqi's most of all. How senseless was it to attack the red cross- all the good work they do and all the Iraqi civillians who were hurt by it..exc...Make Public service announcements about the "Neighborhood Watch" round the clock i.e.-

If the attacks are being done by outsiders-Syrians, Iranians, Saudi's sneaking into Iraq- They-( the attackers) have to have a place to stay exc... before they do their deed. They have to look for targets too, wich means that are out on the streets with the Iraqi public. You have to ask the public's help, in finding these people and preventing further attacks.

In the same way that we were asked after 9/11- to look out for anything suspicious and report it- The Iraqi's can be asked to do the same thing- Be on the look out for suspicious persons, activities, or if they over-hear somebody talking about attacks, or something like that. If there are people new in their neighborhood, or in their building, say from Syria, or Suadi's- that they haven't seen before- Tell them to report it to the Police, coalition forces and have a number for them to call. The point has to made that the Coalition forces can't be everywhere at once. The Iraqi's can also help themselves in this situation -just like the concept of Neighborhood Watch- they can help each other out and help prevent further attacks- Only a thought

-Prayers for all the people who have been lost and injured there, and the Iraqi victims and their families too and for the defeat of those trying to undo the progress that has been made there-for Peace and Prosperity to take over. I ask in the Name Of Jesus our Lord-Amen