Raid on Syria targets al-Qaeda – U.S. military official

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A U.S. military official said the raid on the area near Iraqi-Syrian borders by special forces targeted the network of al-Qaeda-linked foreign fighters moving through Syria into Iraq, the Independent newspaper said on Monday “ The Americans have been unable to shut the network down in the area struck because Syria was out of the military’s reach,” the newspaper said. “We are taking matters into our own hands,” said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The attack came just days after the commander of US forces in western Iraq said American troops were redoubling efforts to secure the Syrian border, which he called an “uncontrolled” gateway for fighters entering Iraq. A Syrian government statement said the helicopters attacked the Sukkariyeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal, five miles inside the Syrian border. Four helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction shortly before sundown and fired on workers inside, the statement said. The government said civilians were among the dead, including four children. A resident of the nearby village of Huwiaja said some of the helicopters landed and troops exited the aircraft and fired on a building. He said the aircraft flew along the Euphrates River into the area of farms and several brick factories. Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, there have been some instances in which American troops crossed areas of the 370-mile Syria-Iraq border in pursuit of militants, or warplanes violated Syria’s airspace. But yesterday’s raid was the first conducted by aircraft and on such a large scale. In May 2005, Syria said American fire killed a border guard. Syria’s Foreign Ministry said it summoned the US and Iraqi charges d’affaires to protest against the strike. “Syria condemns this aggression and holds the American forces responsible for this aggression and all its repercussions. Syria also calls on the Iraqi government to shoulder its responsibilities and launch and immediate investigation into this serious violation and prevent the use of Iraqi territory for aggression against Syria,” the government statement said.   SH (S)/SR 1