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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Ex-Baathists direct Iraq rebels from Syria: US general
2004-12-18
A group of former senior Iraqi Baathists, including one-time general Izzat Ibrahim al-Duri, direct and finance rebels in Iraq out of Syria "with impunity," the top US commander in Iraq said Thursday. "That needs to stop," General George Casey said here.
Does that mean that if it doesn't, we'll stop it ourselves?
"We have fairly good information that there are senior former Baathists, members of what they call the 'New Regional Command,' operating out of Syria with impunity, and providing direction and financing to the insurgency in Iraq," Casey said. Ibrahim was moving "back and forth" between Syria and Iraq, he said. Casey's comments at a Pentagon press conference echoed charges earlier Thursday by Prime Minister Iyad Allawi and came a day after President George W. Bush warned Syria and Iran that meddling in Iraq's internal affairs was "not in their interest." The general also repeated longstanding charges that the movement of foreign fighters into Iraq was facilitated through Syria, although he stopped short of accusing the Syrian government of being directly involved. "I've not seen direct Syrian government involvement in that facilitation but it is coming through Syria. And I do believe they have the capability to stop it if they had the will to," he said.
Posted by:Fred

#9  If we didnt have certain laws passed by Carter and some of his mindset, we could solve this particular problem with a good operator and a.338 Lapua. Start with al-Durhi and the Iraqi Baathists there, then work your way up the Baath party in Syria, and start onn the military chain of command of the Syrian Army & Intelligence service - this will coincidentally kill off a lot of male Assad family members.

Start quietly. The .338 round would be signature enough for them to know who was coming for them in the dark. A few of those woudl probably produce a "Khadafy moment" in both the military and political structures there in Syria.

That would drive the message home to Tehran as well.

But, as I have been told, we don't operate that way anymore. So forget it.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-12-18 1:04:34 PM  

#8  If we didnt have certain laws passed by Carter and some of his mindset, we could solve this particular problem with a good operator and a.338 Lapua. Start with al-Durhi and the Iraqi Baathists there, then work your way up the Baath party in Syria, and start onn the military chain of command of the Syrian Army & Intelligence service - this will coincidentally kill off a lot of male Assad family members.

Start quietly. The .338 round would be signature enough for them to know who was coming for them in the dark. A few of those woudl probably produce a "Khadafy moment" in both the military and political structures there in Syria.

That would drive the message home to Tehran as well.

But, as I have been told, we don't operate that way anymore. So forget it.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-12-18 1:04:34 PM  

#7  We need to do something far more destructive and definitive. I think wiping Damascus off the map would be the appropriate thing. Bomb the place until the biggest piece of rubble is smaller than a dime. Take out all the military command and control, weapons systems, and other capabilities at the same time.

I've heard rumors that about 700 of those killed and captured in Fallujah were Syrian, and quite a few of them exhibited military training. That by itself would be sufficient to make an exit from Iraq through the ports of Haifa and Lataqia reasonable. It would also send a very definitive message to Tehran and Riyadh that we're tired of putting up with the bs from the rest of the moose-limb world. They either learn to play by our rules, or they learn to play dead. For real.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2004-12-18 4:24:01 PM  

#6  thought W revoked that restriction. I'm thinking GPS coords and a cruise missile
Posted by: Frank G   2004-12-18 2:01:17 PM  

#5  a "Khadafy moment" . . . --lol Old Spook! It would indeed. Too bad Carter and his ilk were successful in their deconstruction of such needful operations. There are many ways to fight a war, and the Dems certainly derailed our options--options which would save lives.
Posted by: ex-lib   2004-12-18 1:13:34 PM  

#4  If we didnt have certain laws passed by Carter and some of his mindset, we could solve this particular problem with a good operator and a.338 Lapua. Start with al-Durhi and the Iraqi Baathists there, then work your way up the Baath party in Syria, and start onn the military chain of command of the Syrian Army & Intelligence service - this will coincidentally kill off a lot of male Assad family members.

Start quietly. The .338 round would be signature enough for them to know who was coming for them in the dark. A few of those woudl probably produce a "Khadafy moment" in both the military and political structures there in Syria.

That would drive the message home to Tehran as well.

But, as I have been told, we don't operate that way anymore. So forget it.
Posted by: OldSpook   2004-12-18 1:04:34 PM  

#3  It seems to me that Syria could be a whole lot more helpful to Iran if we went there than vice versa. Thus, Baby Assad is running out of time to pull his Khadaffi.
Posted by: Mrs. Davis   2004-12-18 12:37:58 PM  

#2  If he wants to be helpful, Assad could maybe use his 20,000 occupation troops from Lebanon to secure the border with Iraq? or is he, you know, on the other side?

I'd be surprised if we teach Syria a lesson before Iran is taken care of. But maybe it's necessary in the coming weeks -- before the Iraqi elections. Hitting Fallujah markedly reduced the number of car bombings and beheadings. Maybe hitting Syria will have a similarly rapid salutary effect.
Posted by: Kalle (kafir forever)   2004-12-18 12:00:38 PM  

#1  Man, they need to open a can whoop-ass on carrot top and baby assad
Posted by: anymouse   2004-12-18 1:00:54 AM  

00:00