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Last update - 18:02 31/10/2008
Report: Ahmadinejad calls U.S. Syria raid 'a blind and savage act'
By Yoav Stern, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: u.s. raid, israel news, syria 

Iran's official news agency says President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has condemned a recent U.S. raid inside Syria near its border with Iraq as a savage act.

IRNA says Ahmadinejad called his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, Friday to express Iranian support.

The report quotes Ahmadinejad as calling Sunday's raid a blind and savage act.
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Washington has not formally acknowledged the raid but U.S. 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 has said the raid only killed eight civilians and has challenged the U.S. to prove it targeted an extremist.

Damascus has decided to cut off its diplomatic relations with Iraq in response to the raid, Al-Arabiya reported on Thursday.

Syria has also decided to reduce its troops on the border with Iraq, according to a report from Syrian television.

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

Iraqi 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.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Syrian riot police ringed the shuttered and closed U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Thursday, as tens of thousands of Syrians converged on a central square for a government-orchestrated protest to denounce the raid.

The embassy was closed because of security concerns related to the protest, and the American school was also shut for the day. The Syrian government has ordered the closure of the school, expected within a week, and the immediate closing of the American cultural center linked to the embassy.

Though Syria has long been viewed by the U.S. as a destabilizing country in the Middle East, 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.

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      1.   Bush`s Incredible Incompetence 00:30  |  Mark of Lewiston 31/10/08
      2.   AFTER THE ELECTION IN US, SYRIA MUST RETALIATE 00:41  |  indrajaya 31/10/08
      3.   The Diplomatic War 00:44  |  Mark Lincoln 31/10/08
      4.   # 3, MARK LINCOLN 01:34  |  indrajaya 31/10/08
      5.   Smart move by Syria 02:10  |  American in NY 31/10/08
      6.   To Indrajaya 02:20  |  Proud Jew 31/10/08
      7.   # 5, AMERICAN IN NY 02:22  |  indrajaya 31/10/08
      8.   Syria 02:24  |  Harry 31/10/08
      9.   Good one, Bush. No, really, A Real Winner Tactic 02:26  |  Johnboy 31/10/08
      10.   9, Johnboy 02:44  |  Harry 31/10/08
      11.   In the meantime ... 04:06  |  Frank the plumber 31/10/08
      12.   Cut the crap, you anal retentive idiots 04:08  |  Murray of Montreal 31/10/08
      13.   The Psycho-right 04:47  |  Mark Lincoln 31/10/08
      14.   10 Harry - Endangering American Lives 04:52  |  Mark of Lewiston 31/10/08
      15.   Yeah, let`s all feel sorry for Syria 05:03  |  Lynn 31/10/08
      16.   Harry, Bush endangered stability for zero gain... 05:38  |  BBSNews 31/10/08
      17.   To #13: Mark Lincoln 05:39  |  Frank the plumber 31/10/08
      18.   What terrorist Murray? 05:40  |  BBSNews 31/10/08
      19.   To Murray of Montreal 05:55  |  Gordon 31/10/08
      20.   "MAY have killed an al quayda oprative" 05:57  |  antoine 31/10/08
      21.   #10 People like you do make me laugh, Harry 05:59  |  Johnboy 31/10/08
      22.   a little hypocracy by the usa 06:00  |  deltaleb 31/10/08
      23.   Fire back! 06:09  |  Niva dos Santos 31/10/08
      24.   Do the maths, Murray of Montreal 06:09  |  Johnboy 31/10/08
      25.   To BBSNews 06:10  |  Proud Jew 31/10/08
      26.   I`m not "America`s Left" Proud Jew... 06:52  |  BBSNews 31/10/08
      27.   #22 A little inaccuracy as well, deltaleb 07:50  |  Johnboy 31/10/08
      28.   #12 Murray of Montreal. Diarrhea... 08:13  |  Maureen Ann 31/10/08
      29.   the left excusing terrorist syria 08:20  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 31/10/08
      30.   #2, INDRAJAYA, WRONG 09:36  |  VIPER 31/10/08
      31.   #10, HARRY, THINKS HE`S SOOOO SMART 09:40  |  VIPER 31/10/08
      32.   #15, LYNN, and i don`t feel sorry for the u.s soldiers 09:43  |  VIPER 31/10/08
      33.   #16,BBSnews, why not wait for them in iraq? 09:46  |  VIPER 31/10/08
      34.   Plenty of ideological nonsense here 11:06  |  dyinglikeflies 31/10/08
      35.   Joe the Dumber 12:40  |  Mark Lincoln 31/10/08
      36.   The consequences of the raid 12:42  |  Mark Lincoln 31/10/08
      37.   The United States gets no SOLIODARITY 14:55  |  GREEN 31/10/08
      38.   Syria 15:29  |  Jasper 31/10/08
      39.   For 5 years the US sought diplomatic recognition 15:38  |  Mark Lincoln 31/10/08
      40.   #13, The Psycho Left 16:36  |  Gary 31/10/08
      41.   indrajaya,if your not afraid why do you keep hiding underneath 16:43  |  terrornator 31/10/08
      42.   Joe the plumber is advising Bush. ha ha ha 16:48  |  Moise 31/10/08
      43.   You are next Ahmaloserjad... 16:53  |  Jordan 31/10/08
      44.   viper Re:lynn,,,viper,you pathetic ignorant moron,are you to 16:53  |  terrornator 31/10/08
      45.   bbs "do you honestly think that syria could go to all this 17:03  |  terrornator 31/10/08
      46.   # 27, VIPER 17:12  |  indrajaya 31/10/08
      47.   To BBSNews 17:16  |  Proud Jew 31/10/08
      48.   Ahmadinejad..... 17:22  |  David Nigel Braham 31/10/08
      49.   what a shock 17:26  |  Dr Noam 31/10/08
      50.   ISRAEL HAS FIVE(5) DAYS LEFT TO BOMB IRAN 17:26  |  DENNIS MI VI 31/10/08
      51.   Take out the Assad regime 17:47  |  MarkC 31/10/08
      52.   #11, Olmert the Jewish Santa 18:21  |  Gary 31/10/08
      53.   To Mark of L, `Bush`s incredible incompetence` 18:38  |  Colin Wright 31/10/08
      54.   See how strong Iran is 18:49  |  Fahim 31/10/08
      55.   THE INCREDIBLE LIGHTNESS OF THE LEFT 19:26  |  Brant 31/10/08
      56.   BBSNews Didn`t Obama say he may hit Pakistan from Afghanistan? 19:31  |  S 31/10/08
      57.   Bush`s Incredible Competence 19:55  |  Brad 31/10/08
      58.   Terronator 36 You are spot on 20:04  |  Ned & Sheila Kelly 31/10/08
      59.   Loud Mouth Opinion is Irrelevant 20:23  |  Mark of Lewiston 31/10/08
      60.   #2 indrajaya, America is not afraid of the ... 20:25  |  Aish 31/10/08
      61.   BBSNews would Syria go to all the trouble 20:32  |  Bill H. 31/10/08
      62.   Gordon and Murray from Canada 20:36  |  Bill H. 31/10/08
      63.   george`s impecable neo-con logic 20:37  |  i ain`t lying 31/10/08
      64.   #39, Fahim is just talking Tough 20:39  |  Gary 31/10/08
      65.   There Is A Peaceful Solution To The Middle East 20:46  |  Yosemite 31/10/08
      66.   Ahmadinejad should post on Haaretz 21:02  |  leo 31/10/08
      67.   According to international law... 22:17  |  Maureen Ann 31/10/08
      68.   41, S 22:22  |  Harry 31/10/08
      69.   Gas Prices Still Dropping Now Below $2.70 23:09  |  Yosemite 31/10/08
      70.   Indrajaya 23:19  |  Neal 31/10/08
      71.   strong arm diplomacy 23:28  |  X-MILITARY 31/10/08
      72.   like it or lump it 00:17  |  Rab Burns 01/11/08
      73.   To Harry I have read your posts and i think..... 00:36  |  Wally 01/11/08
      74.   Syria`s underwhelming response 00:41  |  Peter Williams 01/11/08
      75.   Moise # 34 on Bush`s 2nd time around 00:48  |  Bill H. 01/11/08
      76.   #36, TERRORNATOR, the xbox hero 01:16  |  VIPER 01/11/08
      77.   #41, S, he won`t 01:19  |  VIPER 01/11/08
      78.   the burden of proof is on the USA Let them proove that 01:43  |  antoine 01/11/08
      79.   45, Wally 01:47  |  Harry 01/11/08
      80.   Ahmadinejad: "blind and savage act" 02:21  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/11/08
      81.   #Rab Burns. Most Australians lump the Bush Administration! 03:06  |  Maureen Ann 01/11/08
      82.   That Was A Blind And Savage Act 04:09  |  Ahmadinejad 01/11/08
      83.   Maureen Ann`s Australian Baloney 04:13  |  Brad 01/11/08
      84.   #68 Brad. Which "Al Quaida?" 04:58  |  Maureen Ann 01/11/08
      85.   Ahmadinejad 05:23  |  Harry 01/11/08
      86.   BBs#26 you selected a new definition for International law 06:00  |  Simon 01/11/08
      87.   53 Colin Wright - Might Not Be 06:03  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/11/08
      88.   57 Brad - Keeping Up 06:28  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/11/08
      89.   baby bush and cheny`s debacle 06:34  |  kyot 01/11/08
      90.   29 Cipora Julianna Kohn - The Missing Information 06:45  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/11/08
      91.   68 harry 06:54  |  kyot 01/11/08
      92.   #81 06:58  |  Rab Burns 01/11/08
      93.   51 MarkC - Are you Volunteering? 07:01  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/11/08
      94.   Brad #83 07:01  |  Rab Burns 01/11/08
      95.   #81 part two 07:09  |  Rab Burns 01/11/08
      96.   91 KYOT - Supporting US Troops 07:19  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/11/08
      97.   Trivia From CIA World Factbook 07:27  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/11/08
      98.   #95 Rab Burns. 08:57  |  Maureen Ann 01/11/08
      99.   Syria is a dangerous enemy we should crush it without delay. 08:59  |  Jean Van Daem 01/11/08
      100.   #90, Mark of Lewiston 09:01  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 01/11/08
      101.   #99 Well, you`re a true zionist, Jean 10:45  |  Johnboy 01/11/08
      102.   Talking about hanging homosexuals. Ahmed? 11:27  |  x-ray 01/11/08
      103.   100 Cipora - Haven`t Seen Reports 11:43  |  Mark of Lewiston 01/11/08
      104.   Celebrating the end of the most Zionist US administration ever 12:06  |  Clickfool 01/11/08
      105.   Syria Paid a Small Price 14:28  |  Ron 01/11/08
      106.   "Now,", " that got him out of bed.".! 15:08  |  Stephen. 01/11/08
      107.   #18 BBS News 15:42  |  Murray of Montreal 01/11/08
      108.   #24 Johnboy 15:50  |  Murray of Montreal 01/11/08
      109.   #99,Exactly ! 16:37  |  Gary 01/11/08
      110.   #32 VIPER....Frankly speaking 16:56  |  Lynn 01/11/08
      111.   #71 X-MILITARY...exploiting? 16:59  |  Lynn 01/11/08
      112.   # 103 Mark of Lewiston....Cipora is right 17:02  |  Lynn 01/11/08
      113.   Most Australians like Maureen Ann 17:23  |  utagawa 01/11/08
      114.   Clicky Celebrating 17:54  |  Golani 01/11/08
      115.   TO NO 29 CIPORA 18:25  |  DANNY 01/11/08
      116.   TO NO 54 FAHIM THE MISHNOON. 18:58  |  DANNY 01/11/08
      117.   TO NO 106. 19:22  |  DANNY 01/11/08
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