BAGHDAD, Oct. 28, 2008

Iraq Denounces U.S. Raid On Syria

Rejects Use Of Territory As Launch Point For Attacks On Other Countries

    • Angry family members and villagers shout anti-American slogans as they carry the coffin of a victim of a U.S. military helicopter attack in an area of farms and brick factories about five miles inside the Syrian border, Oct. 27, 2008.

      Angry family members and villagers shout anti-American slogans as they carry the coffin of a victim of a U.S. military helicopter attack in an area of farms and brick factories about five miles inside the Syrian border, Oct. 27, 2008.  (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

    • Syrian villagers shout anti-U.S. slogans as they gather near the coffins of relatives who died a day before when U.S. military helicopters launched an extremely rare attack on Syrian territory, Oct. 27, 2008.

      Syrian villagers shout anti-U.S. slogans as they gather near the coffins of relatives who died a day before when U.S. military helicopters launched an extremely rare attack on Syrian territory, Oct. 27, 2008.  (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

    • Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh (seen in this file photo) said today that Baghdad

      Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh (seen in this file photo) said today that Baghdad "rejects" the American raid on Syrian Sunday, even if the U.S. claims such operations outside of Iraq's borders are legitimate.  (AP Photo/Ali Abbas, Pool)

    Previous slide Next slide
  • Play CBS Video Video Syria Claims Attack By U.S.

    Syrian officials are claiming U.S. helicopters an area near the town of Abu Kamal, killing 8 people. Thalia Assuras is monitoring developments from Washington.

  • Video U.S. Performs Raid Into Syria

    U.S. Special Forces claim they killed a senior al-Qaeda leader when they performed a cross-border raid into Syria from Iraq this weekend. UTTM Contributor Frank Ucciardo gives details in an interview with the Syrian U.N. Ambassador, Bashar Ja'afari.

  • Fast Facts Syria

    Learn about the people, economy and history.

(CBS/AP)  Iraq's U.S.-backed government says it does not approve of a deadly U.S. raid into Syria.

Government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh's comments were the first official Iraqi condemnation of Sunday's raid, in which four U.S. helicopters attacked the village of Sukkariyeh, several miles inside Syria's border.

Al-Dabbagh spoke after a Cabinet meeting Tuesday that was chaired by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

He says the government "rejects" the raid even if the U.S. claims such operations are legitimate. He also says Iraq doesn't want its territory to be used for attacks in neighboring nations.

But he urged Syria to crack down on what he said are "organizations" operating on its territory that have the intention of harming Iraq.

Damascus charged that U.S. forces a civilian building under construction shortly before sundown on Sunday, killing eight.

A U.S. military official said the target was a network that smuggles fighters and weapons into Iraq.

CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reported 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 senior American official told The Associated Press that the U.S. operation was precipitated by intelligence that the Iraqi fugitive was planning an imminent attack in Iraq.

A U.S. official called his death "very significant."

Amateur video footage purportedly taken at the scene of the raid was released to AP Television on Tuesday, showing military helicopters flying toward the site as villagers pointed to the skies.

The grainy video was taken by a villager on a mobile phone. It does not show the helicopters landing, but shows villagers pointing in alarm as they arrive overhead.

(AP Photo/AP Television)
The amateur video also contains images purportedly of the immediate aftermath of the attack.

A large crowd can be seen at the site standing around bloodied bodies.

A Syrian government statement said eight people were killed, including a man, his four children and a woman.

However, local officials said seven men were killed and two other people were wounded.

An Associated Press journalist at the funerals in the village's cemetery on Monday saw the bodies of seven men - none of them apparently minors. The discrepancy could not immediately be explained.

Syria's foreign minister Walid al-Moallem said on Monday the attack was "criminal and terrorist aggression," and he warned of retaliation if its borders were violated again.

Syrian television broadcasts reactions from locals following the cross-border attack. "What are the sins of these innocent citizens? They didn't do anything, they were at work. This is a brutal attack," one said.

"I condemn and deplore this attack and I think that all the world will be with Syria against this attack," said another.

In response, the Syrian government has ordered that an American school and a U.S. cultural center in Damascus be closed.

The official SANA news agency says the decision came at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday chaired by Prime Minister Naji Otari.

The report says the Syrian education minister was given instructed to implement the decision.

© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Add a Comment See all 24 Comments
by ajayvee October 30, 2008 11:19 PM EDT
Actually I don''t really care whether al-Maliki approves or disapproves as long as does what he is supposed to do as the puppet head of a conquered people: OBEY ORDERS.
Reply to this comment
by liberalme October 29, 2008 5:26 PM EDT
Who would know better than Iraq about US raids? We went to Iraq uninvited to "raid" their oil but instead, we "liberated" them--funny how they don''t appreciate that--do you think it''s because it took killing over 600,000 civilians and displacing over 2 million and wrecking their country?

What a bunch of ingrates.

The rest of the world, who once respected America now sees us as agressors--and we are.

We need Bush,Cheney, Rumsfield Rove all locked away with not contact with the outside world, once we have done that, we can heal--with them on the loose--anything can happen.

Reply to this comment
by samsel3 October 29, 2008 10:38 AM EDT
Bush & Cheney are not happy with a new Russian Syrian Natural Gas Deal. They still want regime change in Syria........

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. Iraq is concerned Syria may be next on the hit list........

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."
Reply to this comment
by swingset4u October 29, 2008 3:50 AM EDT
Camel-Jockeys LOVE war and so does BUSH/Cheney!
Reply to this comment
by swingset4u October 29, 2008 3:49 AM EDT
Thats what Florida gets for voting in a coke sniffing pot smoker..... Wonder what keeps Palin warm at night???
Reply to this comment
by swingset4u October 29, 2008 3:45 AM EDT
He also says Iraq doesn''t want its territory to be used for attacks in neighboring nations.

But he urged Syria to crack down on what he said are "organizations" operating on its territory that have the intention of harming Iraq.

Sounds like they want their cake and to eat it too!
Reply to this comment
by October 29, 2008 1:02 AM EDT
I don''''t want to work my A$$ off just so the government can come in and take from me what they think is a fair amount and give it to the town drunk.
Posted by nylon66
---
I used to have a nylon66 before I got a big boy. I have to agree with you on one point. If you don''t want to support your daddy, I don''t think the government should be given the right to make you. BTW, while you''ve been keeping a watchful eye on Obama, George W. gutted your pension, your retirement, your 401k, your savings account interest, your IRA interest and your money market account through the Bank Bailout Act giving bankers $700 billion without supervision to solve problems associated with bankers having no supervision. He then doubledeuced you with another $540 billion bailout of the MMIFF, that''s money market mafia managers to you. Here''s the rub: he not only suckered you to today and tomorrow, he put your kids, your grandkids and your great grandkids in his hip pocket at the same time. They get to pay it back. If you''re smart, you will become the town drunk.
Reply to this comment
by trillion1 October 28, 2008 10:22 PM EDT
What a bunch of bull hockey saying attacking Iraq had anything to do with terrorists. Afganistan was protecting Bin Ladin and Al Qaida. We went in with other countries and removed the Taliban but instead of finishing the job and stabilizing the country the insane bush attacked Iraq for no reason. Now instead of winning one war we are losing two.
Reply to this comment
by nylon66 October 28, 2008 10:12 PM EDT
If they come here they will probably bring an atom bomb with them.

The U.S. is doing exactly what we said we would do right after the attacks on sept. 11th. "we will make no distinction between the terrorists and those that harbor them". That means everyone is fair game that have terrorists on there soil. I''m proud that we are sticking to our guns. I figured the prez would have stopped years ago because of the cowardly nature of many Americans. Those that don''t have the balls to fight for more than 2 years.
Reply to this comment
by closethippy1 October 28, 2008 10:03 PM EDT
Syria has deployed large numbers of security staff and they have checkpoints every 2 and 1/2 miles along the border. The Syrians have, according to my information, stopped five or six thousand people trying to cross the Syria-Iraq border throughout the last few years.
The Syrians have also in the past few weeks established embassies in Lebanon and Iraq.
I don''t understand how is it that the US sends terror suspects to Syria so they can torture them for us but then turn around and stab Syria in the back like this.
I hope Syria will forgive the US for this.

Reply to this comment
by airboatboy1 October 28, 2008 9:50 PM EDT
Iraq''s U.S.-backed government says it does not approve of a deadly U.S. raid into Syria.

Maybe if we stay over there long enough the U.S. can go to war with the Iraq U.S.-backed government!
Reply to this comment
by brianbwb-2009 October 28, 2008 9:49 PM EDT
"...if we don''t take it to them, they will bring it here..." Posted by usedeqbroker

Let us use your logic for a similar situation, two idiots planned to kill 88 "Black" Americans, then go after Mr. Obama.

Using your twisted logic, this means that we have the right to kill all "Whites", because of the potential threat to other Americans, lets kill them all now before they try to kill us later.

Let us deal with our own terrorists, and leave those people to deal with their own, if they come here, they will die here, simple as that.
Reply to this comment
by nylon66 October 28, 2008 9:13 PM EDT
If only we could kill Osama bin butt head before the election, Obama''s momentum would come to a screaching halt. I for one do not want to spread the wealth. I don''t want to work my A$$ off just so the government can come in and take from me what they think is a fair amount and give it to the town drunk.
Reply to this comment
by usedeqbroker October 28, 2008 8:27 PM EDT
You go nylon66! Good post.. We have to go after these terrorists! I say chase them to the far ends of the earth if we have to.. and that is about where that *** hole is anyway... if we don''t who will? and we have told them we would and they don''t do a *** thing because they are behind most of it anyway. oh, yeh, Iraq is condemming? now there is something these guys couldn''t do very long ago.. speak their free mind.. and it shows they don''t have much of one...

And another thing... if we don''t take it to them, they will bring it here... an Mr. Jesus freak post gag15... to you I would say I am glad our government tolerates you, but seperates you from the state so you can''t tell us all how to live our lives.. too many have died imposing religous ideals on others... at least our government let''s us choose how we want to live... we (Americans) are so tolerant it sometimes makes me want to scream.. but it is necessary so we can be different, yet not choke the ever lovin'' *** out people like you! GO LIVE THERE IF YOUR FOR THEM!
Reply to this comment
by piercetheval October 28, 2008 7:33 PM EDT
...If Syria prefers we could send the Templars back in...
Reply to this comment
by eggy1620 October 28, 2008 7:02 PM EDT
Thousands of years of violent clashes just so a handful of people can have the authority to tell everyone else which dusty rock they may poop on.
Reply to this comment
by nylon66 October 28, 2008 5:43 PM EDT
Why do you all go overboard? It was a simple raid only 5 miles inside the border that is mostly in the middle of no where. We went in, got the guy and got out. If he wasn''t there in the first place it never would have happened, totally Syria''s fault. Stop allowing these terrorists to use your country''s frontier to send foreign fighters into Iraq!
Reply to this comment
by gig15 October 28, 2008 5:31 PM EDT
As an American, I am for Syria, the land where my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ walked. Syrians deserve better and are good people. We must pray for continued communications between these countries who have so much history of faith, culture, politics, business, commerce, and leaders in the Middle East to seek for better ways of life for these wonderful people of God, who is the Father of all of us. Being United Methodist, we pray for our world, our people in every walk of life and country, because we are all people of God with different paths in faith, which is okay. We all love God and God loves all of us in our goodness and in our search for positive resolutions.
Reply to this comment
by jtmac50 October 28, 2008 5:30 PM EDT
This is exactly what needs to happen. Iraq is stabilizing and we can venture out a little bit more. Syria needs to be thumped again. The Iraq leader will continue to "condemn" the attacks, of course.
Reply to this comment
by missingamerica October 28, 2008 5:29 PM EDT
Methinks Iraq does not comprehend the limits of "democracy" as envisioned by PNAC.
Reply to this comment
See all 24 Comments

Exclusive Webshow

Best-selling author Mitch Albom on his first nonfiction work since "Tuesdays with Morrie." Watch Now

Latest News
News in Pictures
Scroll Left Scroll Right
Connect with CBS News

Stay connected with the CBS News using your favorite social networks and online news applications: