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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Syria on edge over recent fighting along the border |
| 2005-05-18 |
| In this remote corner of Syria where the Euphrates River cuts a lush strip through empty desert, fighting between U.S. Marines and Iraqi insurgents just across the border has people on edge. Artillery shells that strayed from Iraq during last week's battles injured several Syrians, townspeople complain. And Syria's government is again on the defensive against U.S. accusations that it allows fighters to cross its territory. On Wednesday, a top U.S. military official charged that Iraq's recent surge of bombings and other insurgent violence could be traced to a meeting in Syria about a month ago by lieutenants of extremist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and possibly attended by the Jordanian militant himself. Syrian officials had no immediate comment. But earlier Wednesday, the government newspaper denied Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's accusation that Syria still lets foreign militants cross into Iraq. The newspaper said Syria's government is pursuing "all-out efforts" to ensure Iraq's stability and has made clear it is ready to cooperate with Iraqis and Americans to ensure a secure border. Syria won't allow journalists near the border town of Abu Kamal, 75 miles downstream from Deir Ez Zour and just across the border from the Iraqi town of Qaim, where some of the heaviest fighting raged during a weeklong Marine offensive against insurgent hideouts. But a few of Abu Kamal's 70,000 residents — reached by telephone — spoke of watching airstrikes and battles three miles away in Qaim. "It made us feel with our Iraqi brothers. A lot of innocent people were hurt in the offensive," said Bassem Abu Jalal, a 23-year-old businessman. Several people in Abu Kamal were wounded by stray artillery shells, including a 10-year-old boy, townspeople said. They also said that during fighting in Iraq a few months ago, three people were killed in Abu Kamal: two teenagers — one killed by sniper fire, the other by a stray shell — and a man in his 40s hit by a bullet while praying at a mosque. Relatives are demanding compensation from the U.S. government, said Ali al-Mushawweh, an Abu Kamal lawyer who said he is filing lawsuits through the Syrian Foreign Ministry. He said he knew of four Syrians who were wounded by the latest combat in Qaim. "We are paying for the U.S. actions in Iraq," al-Mushawweh said. Like many on the Syrian side, he blames the United States for the problems and says insurgents haven't been in his town. The United States has repeatedly asked Syria to improve controls along the mostly desert 380-mile border, saying extremists use smuggling routes to slip into Iraq and join insurgent groups. Syria denies it allows fighters to cross over, saying it is doing all it can to stop them. The government says it has reinforced a 12-foot-high sand barrier stretching 80 miles through the Abu Kamal region. It also says there are observation posts almost every mile and round-the-clock patrols looking for insurgents. Western diplomats say there is no conclusive evidence linking Syria's government to insurgents in Iraq. And despite their public bickering, there is no indication either side wants to raise tensions, said Jeremy Binnie, Middle East editor for Jane's Sentinel Security Assessments magazine in London. "I don't think the Syrians want to draw any more attention to the fact the insurgency is coming across their border, and the Americans do not really want to have to face a more hostile Syria," he said. But, he added, "Having the Americans right on the border fighting in Iraq, there's always going to be a possibility that that's going to spill over." |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #3 ask for GPS coords for the lawyer so we can send compensation |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-05-18 21:33 |
| #2 Lots of worry about the |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2005-05-18 21:14 |
| #1 I'm sure if an American arti "strayed" over the Syrian border it was directed counter-battery fire. Any injured |
| Posted by: Leigh 2005-05-18 17:50 |