U.S. Embassy in Syria attacked
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, September 12, 2006
CAIRO, Egypt – Four suspected Islamist militants hurled hand grenades and sprayed machine-gun fire in an attempt to storm the American Embassy in Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday, but were gunned down by Syrian forces.
The brazen, morning attack in the Syrian capital seemed to briefly ease tensions between Washington and Damascus, as U.S. officials thanked Syria for defending the embassy. But the attack also raised questions about President Bashar Assad’s grip on security, and his regime’s relationship with extremist groups.
“We appreciate the response of the Syrian security forces to help secure our territory,” said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking at an appearance in Stellarton, Nova Scotia. “I do think that the Syrians reacted to this attack in a way that helped to secure our people, and we very much appreciate that.”
Other Bush administration officials, however, referred to long-standing tensions with Syria, which remains on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.
“The Syrian police forces did their job, and they were professional about it,” said White House spokesman Tony Snow. “Now, the next step is for Syria to play a constructive role in the war on terror. Stop harboring terrorist groups; stop being an agent in fomenting terror, and work with us to fight against terror, as Libya has done. That’s the next step for Syria.”
The Syrian government blamed the bungled attack on a little-known hard-line Sunni militant group that calls itself Jund al Sham, or Soldiers of the Levant, allegedly linked to al-Qaida. “It’s clearly a terrorist operation,” said Gen. Bassam Abed Al-Majeed.
Three of the militants were killed and a fourth was captured in the morning shootout, which also killed a Syrian security officer and wounded 11 bystanders.
None of the embassy staff was hurt in the attack. The 11 bystanders wounded included repairmen from the Syrian Telecommunication Establishment, an Iraqi couple and a Chinese diplomat who was standing on a nearby rooftop.
