Major fighter-smuggler killed in US attack on Syria: official
A US military raid inside Syria on Sunday is believed to have killed a major smuggler of foreign fighters into Iraq, a US official said on Monday.
Damascus: A top Al Qaida member based in Iraq killed during a US raid on a Syrian compound just over the Iraq border was about to carry out an attack in Iraq, US officials say.
The operative, known as Abu Ghadiyah, was the leader of the most prolific network that moves foreign fighters linked to Al Qaida into Iraq. He was the target of the Sunday afternoon raid on the compound in Sukkariyeh, Syria.
Last spring US intelligence picked up similar reports Abu Ghadiyah was planning an attack in Iraq. The information not detailed enough to act on was followed by the murder of 11 Iraqi policemen. Abu Ghadiyah personally led the attack, a senior US offcials told reporters.
"The trip wire was knowing an attack was imminent, and also being able to pinpoint his location," the official said Monday.
Abu Ghadiyah is the nickname for Badran Turki Hishan Al Mazidih.
The attack was carried out to coincide with the customary late afternoon rest period. A ground attack was chosen over a missile strike to reduce the chances of civilian casualties.
Syria said troops in four helicopters attacked a building and killed eight people, including four children.
The raid came just days after the commander of US forces in western Iraq said American troops were redoubling efforts to secure the Syrian border, which he called an "uncontrolled" gateway for fighters entering Iraq.
