Article

2004-04-28 Syria-Lebanon-Iran

Syria fingers al-Qaeda for Damascus festivities

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Posted by Dan Darling 2004-04-28 12:46:44 AM|| || Front Page|| [6 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 CNN is reporting that they were placing explosives under a car. If true then this is an assasination attempt. Not AQs MO.

Posted by Phil_B 2004-04-28 2:44:55 AM|| 2004-04-28 2:44:55 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Does that mean that they will make the AQ guys turn the lights out in their office, pull the shades down and screen their calls with Caller ID?

Posted by Super Hose 2004-04-28 3:30:20 AM|| 2004-04-28 3:30:20 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 1) Low casualty count.
2) Middle of the night.
3) Against an *unoccupied* building of symbolic, non-practical significance.
4) In full view of various foreign embassies, actually *in* the embassy district, in a country with poor access for free media.
5) Very loud, with multiple explosions, yet few bodies.
6) Right after a series of embarrassments, including the foiled Jordanian chemical plot, more press about the "secret war" on the Iraqi border, and the Syrian Kurdish mini-uprising in March.
7) Comes as the Coalition starts to make sabre-rattling noises in the general direction of the Syrians and Iranians.
8) Comes a week after the Israelis demonstrate once again their willingness to assassinate Arab leaders who piss them off sufficiently.

I'm sorry, but combine this with Syrian officials whining about how they're fighting al Queda, too, and I have to say - this has all the hallmarks of a self-inflicted wound.

You know it's a clumsy false-flag operation when *I* can spot it.

Posted by Mitch H. 2004-04-28 7:44:19 AM|| [http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2004-04-28 7:44:19 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Mith H. is absolutely correct. The "attack" was staged. When the Syrian ambassador to Washington yesterday said that Syria stands shoulder to shoulder with the US in the WOT I knew then the attack was faked.

Posted by Mark 2004-04-28 8:29:43 AM|| 2004-04-28 8:29:43 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Oh, don't get me wrong. They probably had some agent provocateurs recruit, arm, and shepherd some young idiots in the right direction. They might even have siphoned them off from the stream of jihadi flowing through the eastern provinces and al Qaim. I doubt it was a whole-cloth fabrication. But the incident stinks to high heaven of Syrian invention.

Posted by Mitch H. 2004-04-28 9:17:07 AM|| [http://blogfonte.blogspot.com/] 2004-04-28 9:17:07 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 Maybe it was Kurds trying to get revenge for the killing of tens of their community some weeks back?

Posted by Cynic 2004-04-28 10:48:11 AM|| 2004-04-28 10:48:11 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 It definitely wasn't an AQ trained force. This op doesn't fit their tactical template at all. I could write a monograph about this, but just one point. AQ is death on recon, sometimes spending years getting to know every aspect of the objective. There's no way they would ever hit an empty building.

Posted by 11A5S 2004-04-28 12:34:59 PM|| 2004-04-28 12:34:59 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 11ASS, I agree. When has AQ not left gobs or sprayed people, Kuffar or otherwise, at the scene of one of their attacks? How hard would it be to rent a bombing bozo in Damascus, a city where even the Weather Underground probably still maintains an office? I wouldn't be surprised to find that security forces were at the scene waiting to ~~permanently silence the patsies~~ respond. Do you think that this is just a ruse to give a coming attack on the US embassy political cover? If we evacuate, they'll just hit the Brits instead.

Cynic, how does blowing up an abandoned UN building, sound like tribal Kurdish justice to you?

Posted by Super Hose 2004-04-28 1:43:24 PM|| 2004-04-28 1:43:24 PM|| Front Page Top

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