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U.S. Forces Attack Syrian Village Near Iraq Border

[AP/International Herald Tribune] U.S. military helicopters attacked an area along Syria's border with Iraq Sunday, killing eight people, the Syrian government said. Four helicopters struck the Sukkariyeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal. A U.S. military official in Washington confirmed the raid, saying the attack targeted elements of a robust foreign fighter logistics network and that due to Syrian inaction the U.S. was now "taking matters into our own hands." The official said the special forces raid targeted elements of a network that sends fighters from elsewhere in the Middle East to Syria, where elements of the Syrian military are in league with al-Qaeda and other fighters. The flow of foreign fighters into Iraq has been cut to an estimated 20 a month, a senior U.S. military intelligence official said in July, down 50% from six months earlier, with 90% of the foreign fighters entering through Syria. Foreign fighters toting cash have been Al Qaeda in Iraq's chief source of income, according to U.S. intelligence.
2008-10-27 01:00:00
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