Syria foils attempt to attack US embassy
Syria foils attempt to attack US embassy
By Heba Saleh in Cairo
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: September 13 2006 03:00 | Last updated: September 13 2006 03:00
Syria yesterday foiled a car bomb attack against the US embassy in Damascus, killing three of the four attackers who tried to storm the building in a van loaded with explosives.
No Americans were hurt but a member of the Syrian anti-terrorism forces guarding the embassy was killed and 11 people injured. The USexpressed its gratitude to Damascus for its swift response.
"Syrian officials came to the aid of the Americans," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. "The US government is grateful for the assistance the Syrians provided in going after the attackers. We are hoping they will become an ally and make the choice of fighting against terrorists."
The US withdrew its ambassador last year after Damascus was linked to the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, former Lebanese prime minister.
Syria's support for the Lebanese Shia group Hizbollah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas have also put it at odds with Washington.
Syrian state television said the attackers - believed to be Islamist militants becauseof the slogans witnesses reported hearing - were armed with automatic rifles andgrenades. Television pictures showed a van rigged with explosivesand the charred remains of another vehicle.
The US has criticised Syria for not doing enough to stop the flow of Islamic militants across its borders into Iraq.
Walid Moallem, Syria'sforeign minister, recently told the Financial Times that "extremists" had been arrested crossing the Syrian border from Lebanon.
Additional reporting by Quentin Peel in London
By Heba Saleh in Cairo
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2006
Published: September 13 2006 03:00 | Last updated: September 13 2006 03:00
Syria yesterday foiled a car bomb attack against the US embassy in Damascus, killing three of the four attackers who tried to storm the building in a van loaded with explosives.
No Americans were hurt but a member of the Syrian anti-terrorism forces guarding the embassy was killed and 11 people injured. The USexpressed its gratitude to Damascus for its swift response.
"Syrian officials came to the aid of the Americans," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. "The US government is grateful for the assistance the Syrians provided in going after the attackers. We are hoping they will become an ally and make the choice of fighting against terrorists."
The US withdrew its ambassador last year after Damascus was linked to the assassination of Rafiq Hariri, former Lebanese prime minister.
Syria's support for the Lebanese Shia group Hizbollah and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas have also put it at odds with Washington.
Syrian state television said the attackers - believed to be Islamist militants becauseof the slogans witnesses reported hearing - were armed with automatic rifles andgrenades. Television pictures showed a van rigged with explosivesand the charred remains of another vehicle.
The US has criticised Syria for not doing enough to stop the flow of Islamic militants across its borders into Iraq.
Walid Moallem, Syria'sforeign minister, recently told the Financial Times that "extremists" had been arrested crossing the Syrian border from Lebanon.
Additional reporting by Quentin Peel in London
posted by Carlos T Mock @ 9:03 PM
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