U.S. closes its embassy in Syria for a day over security fears

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

U.S. closes its embassy in Syria for a day over security fears

Reuters

Published: Thursday, October 30, 2008The United States said on Wednesday it will close its embassy in Damascus to the public today due to security concerns amid rising tensions between the two countries following a U.S. raid on Syria.

A demonstration is planned in the Syrian capital today to protest against the raid, which Damascus said killed eight civilians.

Syria had earlier ordered an American school and cultural centre to be closed in an apparent response to the U.S. action on Sunday. Relations between the two countries are already strained by U.S. accusations that Syria is failing to stop militants entering Iraq.

The U.S. Embassy in Damascus said in a statement it will be closed due to "increased security risk."

Source: http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/s...a8-3d43f72e13b6

[S and S 12]

I read about that and thanked God I switched my husband over to the Jordan embassy. My heart goes out to those with spouses in Syria as I'm not sure what this is going to mean for them. My husband is also worried about how this will effect all the Iraqi refugees as Damascus has cut off relations with the Iraqi government.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

My Husband told me about an American Military operation crossing into Syria recently killing several civilians. Is the war spreading to Syria or is this an isolated incident?

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Tens of thousands of Syrians protest US raid

Updated Oct 30, 2008 16:45

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAMASCUS, Syria

Tens of thousands of Syrians poured out onto a Damascus square in a government-orchestrated rally Thursday to denounce a deadly US raid near the Iraqi border and send a loud message to America: Leave us alone!

A high ranking government official also challenged Washington to prove that US helicopters targeted a top al-Qaida terrorist in the attack which Damascus says killed eight civilians.

The demonstration - a mile away from the US Embassy which had shut down for the day - passed without violence and the flag-waving crowd dispersed peacefully after two hours of chanting anti-American slogans.

Hundreds of Syrian riot police in helmets, with batons and protective shields, ringed the embassy protectively. The demonstrators made no attempt to head for the US compound in the upscale Maliki neighborhood housing the embassy and the adjacent US residence building. Plainclothes security agents stood on surrounding intersections.

The crowd at the central Youssef al-Azmi Square seemed to direct its anger mostly at US President George W. Bush.

Ahmad Deeb, a 30-year-old civil servant said he came to condemn the US "attack against Syria's sovereignty" and tell Bush: "enough criminal acts."

"Leave us alone," said Deeb. "The world will be better next week because whoever is going to be elected as president will be better than Bush."

University student Hussam Baayoun, 20, said the demonstrators "want the Americans to stop their acts of terrorism in Syria, in Iraq and the rest of the world."

Protesters totted pictures of President Bashar Assad and held banners reading "America the sponsor of destruction and wars" and "We will not submit to terrorism." Another banner criticized Iraq for letting Americans use its territory to attack Syria.

The Syrian government has demanded Washington apologize for the strike of the Abu Kamal border community and threatened to cut off cooperation on Iraqi border security if there are more American raids on Syria territory.

The US Embassy was closed amid security concerns related to the protest, and the American school was also shut for the day. Following the raid, Damascus ordered the closure of the school, expected within a week, and the immediate closing of the US cultural center linked to the embassy.

Although authorities usually keep Syria under tight control and Americans have generally felt welcome in the country, violence against US and European interests at protests has erupted in the past

In Baghdad, the foreign ministry said Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari called his Syrian counterpart late Wednesday to express Iraq's rejection of the attack and stress his government's keenness to avoid any political escalation that would damage relations between the two countries.

Washington has not formally acknowledged the raid but US officials, speaking to the media on condition of anonymity, have said the target of the raid was Badran Turki al-Mazidih, a top al-Qaida in Iraq figure who operated a network of smuggling fighters into the war-torn country. The Iraqi national also goes by the name Abu Ghadiyah.

Syria insists the dead were all Syrian civilians and has challenged Washington to provide evidence its forces targeted a top al-Qaida operative.

Information Minister Mohsen Bilal said the "aggression ... was supposed to yield a catch so that they could show it to the world ... But the catch turned out to be an innocent family."

Syria has long been viewed by the US as a destabilizing country in the Middle East, but in recent months, Damascus has been trying to change its image and end years of global seclusion.

But American accusations that Syria wasn't doing enough to prevent foreign fighters from crossing its borders into Iraq remains a sore point in relations. Syria says it is doing all it can to safeguard its long, porous border.

Source: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

Edited October 31, 2008 by Olivia*

[S and S 12]

Its crazy to picture that protest. I've been to the US embassy there and the surrounding neighborhood as me and my husband would always walk around to shops and things after stopping at the embassy. It is right at a V of two streets which is kind of akward. I hope things get worked out one way or another.

[S and S 12]

My Husband told me about an American Military operation crossing into Syria recently killing several civilians. Is the war spreading to Syria or is this an isolated incident?

I hope it is an isolated incedent because other than Syria having poor border security and letting the wrong kind of people in their country, they aren't really a threat. Their military is too small to fight the US and they don't really threaten the US with anything serious anyway. Iran would be my bigger concern though the Iraqi government would fight all the way to prevent the US from using Iraq to get to Iran. Most of the Iraqi government is buddies with Iran and loves them.

[doodlebugg 10]

Geesh it's like I have to have a notebook going to keep track of how many countries we feel we can just invade and attack at will now!

[RAKASA 0]

Sheesh... someone get Bush out of office, and quick!

[doodlebugg 10]

Sheesh... someone get Bush out of office, and quick!

I had posted about this last night in the Thursday thread and my husband was listening to some news on the internet and he said everyone over there is just LIVID. I have a feeling something big is going to happen soon in retaliation. He had also said there was a bomb explosion in Syria that killed over a hundred people but I haven't been able to find anything on that at all. I'm really suprised this isn't in the news as front page material here, though maybe I'm not. Maybe Bush figures so many are preoccupied with the election that no one will notice if he bombs a few more countries.