Posted on 10/26/2008 2:42:25 PM PDT by nuconvert
United States military helicopters bombed targets in a Syrian border town near Iraq on Sunday after Global Jihad operatives allegedly crossed the border into Syria, killing at least eight people.
The raid, which a US military official in Washington confirmed, indicated the desert frontier between the two countries remains a key battleground 5 1/2 years into the Iraq war. The US official said the attack targeted elements of a robust foreign fighter logistics network and that due to Syrian inaction the US was now "taking matters into our own hands."
Israeli defense officials said the incident was not connected to Israel and that the American troops had been chasing Global Jihad suspects in Iraq. The helicopters then crossed into Syria in pursuit of the terrorists.
According to Syria's state-run television, US military helicopters attacked an area near the Syrian border town of Abu Kamal and that there were casualties. It gave no other details on Sunday's attack.
The US military official said the special forces raid targeted elements of a network that sends fighters from North Africa and elsewhere in the Middle East to Syria, where elements of the Syrian military are in league with al-Qaida and other fighters. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of cross-border raids.
While US forces have had considerable success in shutting down the "rat lines" in Iraq with help from Iraq and governments in North Africa, the Syrian part of the network has been out of reach, he said.
"The one piece of the puzzle we have not been showing success on is the nexus in Syria," the official said. "We are taking matters into our own hands."
Local residents told The Associated Press by telephone that two helicopters carrying US soldiers raided Hwijeh village, 17 kilometers inside Syria's border, killing seven people and wounding five others. Reuters quoted residents who said that the attack targeted a house in the area in which a man and his four sons and two nearby workers were killed.
Another report said that four helicopters were involved in the operation and that two of the helicopters landed and soldiers disembarked.
On Sunday night, Syria condemned the US military strike, and said it holds the US responsible for the incident.
Syria claimed the eight casualties were construction workers, who were building at a private construction site, Israel Radio reported.
According to the report, a senior Syrian official told the national Syrian television network that Syria demands that the Iraqi government investigate the violation of Syrian sovereignty and prevent further attacks on Syria from Iraqi territory.
Following the attack, the Syrian Foreign Ministry summoned the stand-in US ambassador in Syria and Iraqi officials in Damascus in order to formally express objection to the attack carried out on Syrian territory.
On Thursday, the commander of US forces in western Iraq said in a briefing with reporters that American troops were redoubling efforts to secure the Syrian border, from where some fighters were continuing to enter Iraq.
Maj. Gen. John Kelly said in last week's briefing that Iraq's western borders with Saudi Arabia and Jordan were fairly tight as a result of good policing by security forces in those countries but that Syria was a "different story."
"The Syrian side is, I guess, uncontrolled by their side," Kelly said. "We still have a certain level of foreign fighter movement."
He added that the US was helping construct a sand berm and ditches along the border.
"There hasn't been much, in the way of a physical barrier, along that border for years," Kelly said.
On September 6, 2007 the Israeli Air Force bombed and destroyed a nuclear reactor Syria was building in the northeast along the Euphrates River.
The area bombed Sunday is near the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which had been a major crossing point for fighters, weapons and money coming into Iraq to fuel the Sunni insurgency.
Iraqi insurgents seized Qaim in April 2005, forcing US Marines to recapture the town the following month in heavy fighting. The area became secure only after Sunni tribes in Anbar turned against al-Qaida in late 2006 and joined forces with the Americans.
You are welcome.
Miscellaneous:
US Marines Train Iraqis for Syrian Border ‘Quick Reaction Force’
http://thetension.blogspot.com/2008/10/us-marines-train-iraqis-for-syria.html
Chappy says “Hi.”
I was chaplain for them a long time ago. Best assignment I ever had. Best warriors I ever had the honor to serve with.
Tell him that, not only do I thank him for his service, but I THANK GOD for him and his comrades who have stood in the gap for this country.
Thank you, President Bush, for keeping this country safe for more than seven years.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.