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APDAMASCUS, Syria – An American school in Damascus closed its doors and told students to go home Monday after the Syrian government ordered it shut down in response to a deadly U.S. cross-border raid near the Iraqi border.
A voice message on the school's answering machine said the Damascus Community School was closed to comply with the government's decision. Students and teachers were seen leaving the school grounds Monday afternoon.
The closure order came two days after Syria said U.S. troops in four helicopters attacked a building inside Syria near the Iraqi border. Washington hasn't formally acknowledged the raid, but U.S. officials say the target was a top al-Qaida in Iraq figure.
The school and the cultural center, which are linked to the U.S. Embassy, cater to a small American community in the Syrian capital and other foreign residents. The Syrian government had demanded the cultural center close immediately and the school close by Thursday.
The students came to school as usual Monday but said they were told by the school's administration to leave. No reason was immediately given. One student said administrators told him and his classmates to pack up their books leave the building immediately.
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