US thanks Syria over embassy raid

[DoYouEverWonder]

12 September 2006

The US has thanked Syria for foiling an attack on its embassy in Damascus.

Syria said three attackers were killed and a fourth captured as they tried to drive two cars at the compound. One security officer was killed.

Syrian media blamed Islamic extremists but no-one has said they carried out the attack. One car went up in flames but the second bomb failed.

The US, which lists Syria as a sponsor of terrorism, said it was grateful that the embassy staff's safety was ensured.

There were no reports of US casualties. There is currently no US ambassador to Damascus and very limited contact between the governments.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/5339834.stm

[Kutjara]

1. There's nothing like a little peace offering to smooth...

...over unpleasant differences. Syria put on a nice show for us. I wonder what BushCo promised them in return for this little pantomime?

[NOLADEM]

2. Yes Syria, thanks for hosting our staged reminder

of how dangerous the world is on this, our most hallowed political feast, 9.11.

Just an embassy attack in the third target of our Chimperor's inexplicable angst, to get the fire nice and toasty for an invasion/bombing/de-brownification of Syria and Iran.

Gobble it up, sheeple.

:banghead:


And Syria, heads up...some democracy smart missiles are heading your way soon.

[rocktivity]

3. Sorry, I've misplaced my scorecard

Isn't invading Syria on Georgie's back burner? For that reason, I can't help but wonder if it was actually a suicide mission designed to keep Bush from invading!

:headbang:
rocknation

[HuffleClaw]

4. i think the plan HAD been for the 'bad guys' to succeed and thereby

demonstrate that syria LET the attack happen. must have been one pisspoor amateurish attack. the folks at cia must be pissed they didn't get their money's worth.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. And as a reward, the neocons will put off the invasion for a month.

!!

[gatorboy]

6. Grateful...But not TOO grateful..

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=politicsNews&storyID=2006-09-12T172656Z_01_N12343827_RTRUKOC_0_US-SYRIA-USA.xml&WTmodLoc=NewsArt-L3-Politics+NewsNews-4

The U.S. government is grateful for the assistance the Syrians provided in going after the attackers," White House spokesman Tony Snow said. "We are hoping they will become an ally and make the choice of fighting against terrorists."

But a senior State Department official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of his comments, said relations between the two countries were unlikely to change much in the near future.

He said the Syrian response "was their duty. The alternative would have been bad for U.S.-Syrian relations."


See? THAT'S how you win hearts and minds! :eyes:

[Algorem]

7. It's OK to thank them.It's not like they're official Axis of Evil members.

They are evil,though.We need to remember that.Evil evi evil.

[bhikkhu]

8. Three possible scenarios:

First - Native hijinks. Syria stages the embassy attack using terrorist connections, planning all along to foil it, for the sake of brownie points with the US, and international prestige.

Second - False flag. US stages the operation against its own embassy, using its terrorist connections, in order to ramp up the fear domestically and put the long-desired war against Syria on the table. Syria foils it, requiring a grudging US "thanks" and a serious return to the drawing board.

Third - Things are as they seem. Terrorists were caught in the act by the Syrian defenses, who did their job very well.

I would say t he third is likely, except that the region is crawling with so many intelligence agents and provocateurs of various allegiances and agendas, it is difficult to believe that anything is as it seems. Perhaps one day someone will reveal all in memoirs, but then again I am still waiting for the real story of who shot Lincoln.

[Radioactive]

9. Yup thanks for that guys.....

.... but we're still planning to bomb you.

[xchrom]

10. let's see after 9-11 the u.s. had to thank syria for it's co-operation

against al quaida -- then of course they quickly became the bad guy for bushco again -- and now they have to thank syria again.

so which is it -- you fucking republican tape worms?

could it be that the world is more complex than you want america's people to believe it is?

that syria might be more of a friend to our people than you fucking conservative tapeworms would have us believe?

cause you've had to thank syria -- twice now at least -- and that must be hard to take.

[Ragin_mad]

11. The whole thing was a Syrian government plot.

The planned the whole thing, including being able to stop it just to make it look good to the US for a time. Syria has done stuff like this before, and will do it in the future.

[PaulaFarrell]

12. That's a pretty blanket statement

Can you give an example of them doing something like you say in the past?

[bhikkhu]

13. I can't think of anything myself, but if a small deception

(even with lives lost) derails a sworn enemy's ramping up for war, then I am all for it. If the intent is to manipulate conditions and perceptions in the interest of peace, that is a type of "intelligence" operation deserving of its moniker.

[PaulaFarrell]

14. that assumes it's a deception

I have just read Sy Hersch's book 'Chain if Command' and he stated pretty clearly that after 9/11 Syria made overtures to the US, gave lots of genuine info on terriorists, and generally tried to build relations with the US, albeit subtly. Totally unappreciated by *. I don't like statements like the poster made unadorned by a even a few facts. Especially given the poster's name name - but maybe I'm just cynical...

[bhikkhu]

17. I don't assume its deception

rather I take a cynical attitude and choose to "believe" nothing, where facts are largely unavailable. Idle speculation is the luxury of the ignorant, one might say (referring to myself), and I apologize if it offends.

[ButterflyBlood]

16. That's just as ridiculous as the tinfoilers claiming it was the US

Geez, Occam's Razor. There are terrorists in the Middle East who are strongly opposed to the US. They have attacked US embassies before. Impossible to happen again?

[ForFuxakes]

15. First Post!

Gee...and I thought Syria was a state sponsor of
terra...trying to bring down the US...