(Washington Post) - Syria has shown a surprising openness in working with the United States against al Qaeda. When Saudi and other fighters began drifting through Syria after the collapse of Taliban rule in Afghanistan last fall, the government arrested more than 20 former fighters, intelligence officials said. U.S. officials confirmed that information provided by the Syrian government saved American lives by heading off an attack on U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf earlier this year. More recently, Syria has cooperated with U.S. officials in the arrest and interrogation of Mohammed Haydar Zammar, a Syrian-born German citizen who recruited Mohammed Atta and two other Sept. 11 hijackers into an al Qaeda cell based in Hamburg.
2002-07-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive