U.S.: Syria Raid Killed Al Qaeda Leader

Syrian Gov't Says Helicopter Attack Killed 8 Civilians; U.S. Source Says Key Iraq Militant Leader Killed

(CBS/AP)  Families in this Syrian village on Monday buried relatives they said died in a U.S. helicopter attack. A U.S. counterterrorism official said American forces killed the head of a Syrian network that funneled fighters, weapons and cash into Iraq.

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports the raid targeted and killed Abu Ghadiyah, who was a senior al Qaeda in Iraq operative responsible for funneling foreign fighters and money into Iraq. A U.S. official calls his death "very significant." Syria was the only pipeline through which al Qaeda in Iraq was getting its foreign fighters.

Also Monday, a villager said U.S. forces grabbed two men and took them away by helicopter during the cross-border raid.

During the funerals, residents shouted anti-American slogans and carried banners reading: "Down with Bush and the American enemy." Syria's foreign minister condemned the raid as "cowboy politics."

The Syrian government said four U.S. military helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction shortly before sundown, killing eight people in Sukkariyeh - a village about five miles inside the Syrian border.

A U.S. military official in Washington confirmed Sunday that special forces had conducted a raid in Syria that targeted the network of al Qaeda-linked foreign fighters moving through Syria into Iraq.

"We are taking matters into our own hands," the official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the political sensitivity of cross-border raids.

The attack is another sign that the United States is aggressively launching military raids across the borders of Afghanistan and Iraq to destroy insurgent sanctuaries. In Pakistan, U.S. missile strikes have killed at least two senior al Qaeda operatives this year and ramped up the threat to groups suspected of plotting attacks on Western troops in Afghanistan and terror strikes in the West.

Martin reports special operations forces went in on the ground because unlike an air strike, it allows them to pick up intelligence. They undoubtedly left with every cell phone and laptop they could find. U.S. officials do not believe they killed any innocent civilians, although that remains uncertain.

Technically, this raid, like an earlier one into Pakistan, was conducted by the CIA using military personnel, a distinction which matters only to lawyers. The Pakistan raid required presidential approval and this one likely did as well.

A Sukkariyeh resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his life, said he saw at least two men taken into custody by American forces and whisked away by helicopter. Another villager displayed amateur video footage he took with his mobile phone that shows four helicopters flying toward them as villagers point to the skies in alarm.

An Associated Press journalist saw the grainy video Monday.

At the targeted building, about a five-minute drive off the main road, the floor was bloodstained and white tennis shoes were surrounded by blood and pieces of human flesh. A tent pitched near the site had bags of bread, pots and pans and wool blankets.

The White House Monday refused to make any comment on the incident.

CBS News White House correspondent Mark Knoller reports that press secretary Dana Perino could not have been more adamant:

"You can come up here and try to beat it out of me - but I will not be commenting on this in any way, shape or form today,' she said.

Iran condemned the attack as did Russia, which has had close ties with Syria since Soviet times.

The raid also put the Baghdad government in an awkward position while negotiating a security pact with the United States. Iraqi officials said they hoped the raid would not harm their relations with Syria, but the government spokesman in Baghdad noted that it happened in an area known as a terrorist haven.

"We are trying to contain the fallout from the incident," Iraqi Foreign Ministry undersecretary Labid Abbawi said. "It is regrettable and we are sorry it happened."

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, however, said the area where the raid occurred "is a theater of military operations where anti-Iraq terrorist activity takes place."

Syria's foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, described the raid as "cowboy politics." He spoke to reporters in London and warned that if there was a repeat attack on Syria, "we would defend our territories."

The Syrian government statement said eight people were killed, including a man and his four children and a woman. However, local officials said seven men were killed and two other people were wounded, including a woman among the injured.

An Associated Press journalist at the funerals in the village cemetery saw the bodies of seven men - none of them children. The discrepancy could not immediately be explained.

Sunday's attack came at a time when Syria appears to be making some amends with the United States. Though Syria has long been viewed by the U.S. as a destabilizing country in the Middle East, Damascus has been trying in recent months to change its image and end years of global seclusion.

The raid came just days after the commander of U.S. 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.

In Sukkariyeh, villager Jumaa Ahmad al-Hamad told the AP he was walking Sunday when he saw four helicopters, two of which landed.

"Shooting then started ringing for more than 10 minutes," al-Hamad said Monday. After the helicopters stopped firing and left the area, he and other villagers went to the site and discovered the bodies of his uncle, Dawoud al-Hamad, and four of his uncle's sons, who he said were killed.

At the one-story family house of the deceased Dawoud al-Hamad and his sons, about 30 women dressed in black wept in a courtyard. They all dismissed allegations that the dead men had links to al Qaeda.

"They were innocent laborers who worked from dusk to dawn," said Abdullah's wife, Rima, while sitting on the floor. She said work at the construction site started last week.

Asked about U.S. reports that an al Qaeda-linked group used the site, Siham, the widow of one of Dawoud al-Hamad's sons, Ibrahim, said: "I don't know about any of that."

"All I know is that they went to work and never came back," said the mother of seven children, the youngest of whom is an 8-month-old girl.

Some Iraqi officials warned that the U.S. military raid into Syria could be used by opponents of the security pact under negotiation with the United States.

"Now neighboring countries have a good reason to be concerned about the continued U.S. presence in Iraq," Kurdish politician Mahmoud Othman told the AP.

Abbawi said he did not believe the Syrian raid would affect the security negotiations but acknowledged that "some will use the incident for the argument against the agreement."

Sunday's attack comes as the flow of foreign fighters into Iraq has been declining. A senior U.S. military intelligence official told the AP in July that it had been cut to an estimated 20 a month. That's a 50 percent decline from six months ago, and just a fifth of the estimated 100 foreign fighters who were infiltrating Iraq a year ago, according to the official.

The area targeted 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.

Ninety percent of the foreign fighters enter through Syria, according to U.S. intelligence. Foreigners are some of the most deadly fighters in Iraq, trained in bomb-making and with small-arms expertise and more likely to be willing suicide bombers than Iraqis.

[onarollagain]

Everyone...Repubs and Crats...email the LA Times to release the tape...it is our civil duty to do this and their responsibility to release the tape. Take action...let''''s get control of the United States of America again and out of the mainstream media''''s bias release of information

[mr22585]

The CIA needs to take a look at Obama. He is America''s #1 enemy.

[alex33331]

Bush adminstration lost the war in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Lebanon in Palestine (the famous promise of Palestinian state), alos inside US, the economic system faild. American soldiers are in the heart of death. Republicans lost their combat. What can they do to survive? Just killing few innocents, to tell american people before elections: OUR ANTI-TERRORISM WAR CONTINUES. WE ARE WINNERS. WE ARE YOUR SOLELY AND LAST HOPE.

[grandesign]

Hopefully our cancer will be surgically removed by the ballot a week from now when we elect a decent President! Hopefully without any blood letting from you warmongering barbarian''s.
Posted by grumpas at 08:41 AM : Oct 28, 2008

While I wouldn''t support President Bush to any great extent; what you consider warmongering barbarians are hardly the reality. Compare the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with any previous war. Vietnam 56,000 American died. Korean war 58,000 American died. WWII 300,000 American died. WWI 126,000 American died. Civil War 618,000 American died.

How many Americans have died in Afghanistan & Iraq?

Still too many.

[samsel3]

Bush & Cheney not happy with Russian Syrian Natural Gas Deal

Damascus: Syria and Russia have signed a $71 million gas deal to transport natural gas from Syria s northern city of Aleppo to the Turkish border.

The agreement between Syrian Gas Company and Russia s StroyTrans Gaz provides construction of a 62-kilometre pipeline from Aleppo to the border, Sana news agency reported on Tuesday.

Construction of the pipeline is expected to take 18 months. Source Gulf News Oct. 15, 2008

The PNAC global agenda continues.

In an interview published by the French, dedefensa.org journalist Amy Goodman s interview with General Wesley Clark stated:

" Clark stated he viewed a defense department memo that described how the U.S. was going to take out seven countries in five years....

"starting with Iraq,then Syria and Lebanon, then Libya,then Somalia and Sudan, and back to Iran."

[samsel3]

Next comment..

Posted by DoILookligaf at 09:13 AM : Oct 28, 2008

All those illegals streaming in ....Terrorism in the US is a smokescreen for the Kool-aide drinkers.

The borders and ports would have been secured years ago if they were really concerned.

[samsel3]

Bush & Cheney not happy with Russian Syrian Natural Gas Deal

10/15/2008 06:16 PM | Agencies

Damascus: Syria and Russia have signed a $71 million gas deal to transport natural gas from Syria s northern city of Aleppo to the Turkish border.

The agreement between Syrian Gas Company and Russia s StroyTrans Gaz provides construction of a 62-kilometre pipeline from Aleppo to the border, Sana news agency reported on Tuesday.

Construction of the pipeline is expected to take 18 months. Source Gulf News Oct. 15, 2008

[mediawatch50]

Grain of salt, folks. This was a hit-and-run operation, and while I have little doubt that we were targeting AQI, unless we dragged the bodies back across the border there is no way to determine exactly who we nailed. Centcom quite often declares "success" before all the c**p has hit the ground, so it will probably be a couple more days before we know what actually happened here.

[samsel3]

The PNAC global agenda continues.

In an interview published by the French, dedefensa.org journalist Amy Goodman s interview with General Wesley Clark stated:

" Clark stated he viewed a defense department memo that described how the U.S. was going to take out seven countries in five years....

"starting with Iraq,then Syria and Lebanon, then Libya,then Somalia and Sudan, and back to Iran."

[grumpas]

It''''s worrisome that when a cancer is removed, some of the good cells go with it. But it was necessary. I wish Syria would thank us for having eliminated this disease to peace in that region.

Posted by Grandesign

Hopefully our cancer will be surgically removed by the ballot a week from now when we elect a decent President! Hopefully without any blood letting from you warmongering barbarian''s.

[chris32324]

cmon george theres still time left to make more wars,afterall a dictator gotta do what a dictator does,

[petro49l]

Al Qada Syria transfers money to Al Qada Iraq over the Internet. AQS receives narcotics from AQI for Junkies in Damascus. The trafficking of tar heroin, PCP, powerful hashish, LSD, and methamphetamine sustains the war effort for AQI. Al Qada promotes the felonious sexual assault on children and production of illicit pornography for terror purposes. AQI should be expelled from Iraq for indecency, heresy, and avarice.

[tannerbird]

We do what we want but no one else can this is the way it works and does anyone wonder why we are the most hated nation on the face of this earth.

[renojmc]

Al Qaeda leader leader killed in Syria? How sad for Obama, Pelosi, and Reid. Apparently they just lost a close ally.

[grandesign]

Ok.. if that the mentallity youd like to go with. then it is the right that any country to have a preemptive strike on the U.S. all they have to do is warn you before hand. This "Al-qeada" word is simply made to mask the wrongs that this country has made towards the world.
Posted by otomar3261 at 08:44 PM : Oct 27, 2008

This was not a pre-emptive strike on Syria. Get your facts straight. There were no Syrian forces engaged, nor was there any bombing of Syrian governmental offices. This was a surgical operation to remove a cancer in the population. It''s worrisome that when a cancer is removed, some of the good cells go with it. But it was necessary. I wish Syria would thank us for having eliminated this disease to peace in that region.

[grandesign]

Can you prove the media is liberal?

Or is your definition of "liberal" as applied to the media restricted to their failure to suppress the truth when it conflicts with this President''''s goals or his statements?
Posted by ibsteve2u at 11:09 PM : Oct 27, 2008

Or liberal, like in having a liberal education; one defined by knowing several different subjects becoming adept in a core curriculum, with a broad base knowledge, and balance in judgement.

This kind of liberal. Plato would agree.

[grandesign]

Obama earned income in 2000 and 2002 from speaking fees. In Illinois, it''''s illegal for legislators to accept speaking fees. Would it not sway at least a few votes if people learned Obama broke the law while serving in the state senate.
Posted by joule3 at 03:37 AM : Oct 28, 2008

What an idiot you are. You are so incompetent you cannot even count. Obama became Senator of Illinois in November 2004, prior to the fees you mention in 2001 and 2002. He was teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School during the time you specify.

[juwboy]

How can the media be predominantly liberal when "everybody knows" that the U.S. media are under the control of seven neocon, ZioNazi Jews?

:-):-):-):-):-)

[jerr11]

I''d say we''re on the right track.

Kill all these no-good bums.

Bush created the al qaeda monster in Iraq and put us in this untenable situation for no good reason.

If there''s one thing Saddam was good at it was in suppressing the Islamist jihadists.

Bush''s took out al qaeda''s enemy in his Halliburton war and delivered Iraq lock stock and barrel to these 911 murderers.

Now we have to follow through and kill these offsprings of Bush''s phony war.

Bush spent $3 trillion and bankrupted the nation on his personal war against Saddam.

So much for having a likeable president, someone we can have a beer with!

Make sure you vote McCain (that''s another likeable guy we can trust) on Nov 4 so we have some continuity in this GOP INSANITY in Iraq.

[usclimey]

well, considering media management is predominantly gay, and media workers are all unionized, that''''s a pretty good opening argument for a liberal bias, no?

Posted by jgg0001

Now that is one of the most bigoted ridiculous and outright ignorant statements I''ve seen in years.