Syrians protect U.S Embassy (blow to Bush)

United_Nations

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Sep 12, 2006
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DAMASCUS, Syria - Syrian guards foiled an attempt by suspected al-Qaida-linked militants to blow up the U.S. Embassy on Tuesday, exchanging fire outside the compound's walls with gunmen shouting "God is great" who tried to storm in with automatic weapons and hand grenades.

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No Americans were hurt and the embassy was not damaged in the brazen, midmorning attack, which came amid high tension between Washington and Damascus. But the assault could highlight the Syrian regime's weakening grip on militants, who have battled Syrian security forces repeatedly in recent years.

Sunni Muslim extremists such as al-Qaida fiercely despise President Bashar Assad's regime because of its secular ideology and because his father, the late President Hafez Assad, led a crackdown on Muslim fundamentalists that killed thousands in the city of Hama in 1982. They also reject Assad's rule because he belongs to the Shiite Alawite sect of Islam.

Three attackers and a Syrian guard were killed in Tuesday's attempted bombing in a heavily guarded neighborhood of Damascus where several foreign embassies and Assad's office and residence are located. A fourth attacker was wounded and arrested.

The rapid response by Syrian guards won rare praise from the United States, which accuses Assad's government of supporting terrorism in its backing of Hezbollah guerrillas and Palestinian militants. The U.S. withdrew its ambassador from Damascus last year to protest Syria's alleged role in the assassination of a prominent politician in Lebanon.

"I do think that the Syrians reacted to this attack in a way that helped to secure our people, and we very much appreciate that," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said.

White House spokesman Tony Snow also thanked Syrian officials and called for Damascus to "become an ally and make the choice of fighting against terrorists."

But Syria responded with a sharp criticism of the United States, blaming its policies in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories for increasing Islamic militancy.

"It is regrettable that U.S. policies in the Middle East have fueled extremism, terrorism and anti-U.S. sentiment," the Syrian Embassy in Washington said in a statement. "The U.S. should ... start looking at the root causes of terrorism and broker a comprehensive peace in the Middle East."

It curtly said that Syria "performed its duties" under the Geneva Conventions to protect the embassy.

Anti-American sentiment has been rising across the Middle East since Israel's 34-day blitz of Hezbollah in Lebanon that ended nearly a month ago, on top of turmoil in Iraq that many here blame on the United States.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but suspicion immediately fell on a little-known al-Qaida offshoot called Jund al-Sham, Arabic for Soldiers of Syria.

Syria's ambassador to the U.S., Imad Moustapha, told The Associated Press it was too early to say but "it's logically possible" Jund al-Sham was responsible.

If confirmed, it would be the boldest and most sophisticated attack yet by Jund al-Sham.

At the State Department, deputy spokesman Tom Casey said: "Clearly, it was an organized terrorist attack on our embassy. But exactly who was responsible for it and who they might be affiliated with and what their motives are, are things that we'll just have to look at as the days go on."

The attackers came in two cars, one of them an explosives-laden pickup truck. The first car pulled up in front of the embassy's entrance and three gunmen burst out. Shouting "Allahu akbar" — "God is great" — they threw hand grenades and fired automatic weapons toward the gate and a Syrian guard post, sparking a 15-minute gunbattle.

At the same time, the truck — filled with pipe bombs rigged to gas canisters — pulled up to another gate on the other side of the triangle-shaped compound. But when the shooting erupted, the driver ran away without detonating it. The driver was shot and arrested, and the truck did not explode.

After the attack, blood was splattered on the sidewalk outside the embassy, along with the burned-out car used by the gunmen.

The three attackers, who were all killed, tried to throw their grenades over the embassy's white 15-foot-high walls, but none made it over. One blast peppered the wall with pockmarks.

Three Syrian security agents were wounded as well as 10 civilians and a Chinese diplomat who was watching the gunbattle from the rooftop of the Chinese Embassy across the street.

The U.S. Embassy has about 40 staffers, but no ambassador. The United States withdrew its ambassador several days after the Feb. 14, 2005, assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in a Beirut car bomb — an attack his supporters blamed on Syria. Damascus has denied any role, but the attack has further soured U.S.-Syrian ties.

Tuesday's attack raised the question of how strong militant groups have grown in Syria — where the highly closed government rarely releases information on security issues, making assessing the terror threat difficult.

Assad has warned of an increasing Islamic threat against his country, saying al-Qaida militants are taking refuge in neighboring Lebanon.

But some opponents of his regime have claimed he is hyping the threat to score support with the United States, defuse international pressure and provide a pretext for Syrian meddling in Lebanon.

Syrian security forces have battled several times in the past two years with gunmen believed to belong to Jund al-Sham.

In June, anti-terrorism police fought militants near the Defense Ministry in central Damascus in a clash that killed five people and wounded four. In 2004, four people were killed in a gunfight between police and a team of militants believed to plotting to bomb the Canadian Embassy.

Jund al-Sham was established in Afghanistan by Syrians, Palestinians and Jordanians with links to slain al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Syria is a major crossing point for militants from around the Arab world — including Syria and Lebanon — to slip into Iraq to fight in the insurgency. In the face of U.S. pressure, Damascus has insisted it is doing all it can to stop the infiltrations but that the long desert border is too difficult to seal.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060912/ap_on_re_mi_ea/syria_embassy_attack

This is a blow to Bush because it shows that even though tensions are high in Syria that they wouldn't allow the U.S embassy to be destroyed. However, of course, the Bush cronies have to add they don't know who led the terrorists so they can claim it was the Syrian administration itself.
 

Colpy

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 5, 2005
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This is no blow to Bush......it simply shows that the Syrians are not stupid enough to take on the USA directly.
 

Kreskin

Doctor of Thinkology
Feb 23, 2006
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This is a blow to Bush. The last thing this administration needs politically is something to bring the air out of their "everyone's an enemy" campaign. How do they sell the "civilization is at stake" propoganda without it.
 

Texas1

Electoral Member
Sep 23, 2005
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United_Nations who in the right mind would use that corrupt group as a nik ?

Jack is that you ?
 

Logic 7

Council Member
Jul 17, 2006
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Re: RE: Syrians protect U.S Embassy (blow to Bush)

Texas1 said:
United_Nations who in the right mind would use that corrupt group as a nik ?

Jack is that you ?


:lol:


United nations are driven by 5 permanent members who are : USA,UK,FRANCE,RUSSIA and CHINA.


and i totally agree with you , they are a corrupt group at the highest level.
 

gangstalking

Electoral Member
Sep 10, 2006
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White House spokesman Tony Snow also thanked Syrian officials and called for Damascus to "become an ally and make the choice of fighting against terrorists."

But Syria responded with a sharp criticism of the United States, blaming its policies in Lebanon, Iraq and the Palestinian territories for increasing Islamic militancy.

"It is regrettable that U.S. policies in the Middle East have fueled extremism, terrorism and anti-U.S. sentiment," the Syrian Embassy in Washington said in a statement. "The U.S. should ... start looking at the root causes of terrorism and broker a comprehensive peace in the Middle East."

It curtly said that Syria "performed its duties" under the Geneva Conventions to protect the embassy.

There are two ways that this can be taken, but this line here was not to George Bush's credit.

At least the embasy is safe.
 

Huckleberry

New Member
Sep 11, 2006
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Should be noted here that, although US embassies in "rambuctious" countries are typically highly secure fortresses located away from city-centres, the embassy in Damascus is in a high traffic area surrounded by busy side streets and housed in an old 'maison' with only a high wall to protect it. In other words, it is hard to protect and secure. The Syrians did a damn fine job in stopping this attack and deserve a lot of credit for it, particularly since there was loss of life on the part of the Syrian security forces.
 

EastSideScotian

Stuck in Ontario...bah
Jun 9, 2006
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Petawawa Ontario
Oh yea thats a blow to bush for sure.....

Oh wait, no its not, it actully proves the point that terrorist are working in Syria, and have attempted to take a shot at the USA from there. It proves without a doubt that Terrorist will do anything anywhere to harm western government, it kinda says hey, the "war on terror" might actully be needed.

As for it being a Blow to bush, I dont think Bush has any intent on Invadeing Syria at anytime, Infact its more like at least thier government went out of its way to say look terrorist you cant pull that shit in syria, thats nto a blow thats good thing.