Interesting article in the Times looking at the Syrian role in Iraq:
Syria has stepped up its assistance to insurgents in Iraq and is encouraging both secular and Islamist fighters operating across its border, according to Western and Arab officials.
Despite assurances from Damascus that it is cracking down on cross-border activity, critics claim that Syria’s intelligence services are actively co-operating with members of the former Baathist regime and even with associates of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Jordanian accused of orchestrating a wave of bloody bombings and kidnappings in Iraq.
One well-placed Arab official with experience in Syria said that while Damascus offered assurances that it was working to combat terror, in reality it was doing the exact opposite. […]
Now there is fresh evidence that the Syrians are engaged in assisting the resistance. Western intelligence agencies believe that elements of the Syrian regime, the last Baathist government in the world, are trying to resurrect the defunct Iraqi Baath party. At least one former senior Iraqi Baathist official has established himself in a large villa in Damascus, where he is recruiting volunteers and sending them over the border to resistance strongholds such as Fallujah and Ramadi. His operations are conducted with the encouragement of the host Government. […]
Although it is highly unlikely that Washington will take any further action before the US presidential elections in November, further confrontation is inevitable, especially if Mr Bush is re-elected. “The Americans are very concerned. If Bush is re-elected for another four years, I do not think that the Baathists in Syria will survive,” a senior Arab official said.
He said that unless President Assad changed his attitude, “he will get his fingers burnt”.
Leave a Reply