A massive ambush was reported in the Iraqi town of Akashat today, when a convoy of Iraqi soldiers carrying 48 Syrian soldiers who fled fighting along the border was attacked, killing all 48 of the Syrians and 9 of the Iraqis.
Iraqi officials had reported that 65 Syrian soldiers and government workers, many of them wounded, fled across the border crossing into Rabia on Friday. The border was seized by Syrian rebels and closed by the Iraqi military over the weekend.
They were taken to local hospitals and treated, and were going to be returned to Syria by way of the al-Walid border crossing, further south, which is still under Syrian government control. So far no group has claimed responsibility for the ambush.
The rebel Syrian National Council had publicly slammed Iraq for allowing troops into the country to receive medical treatment, insisting it was a violation of Syrian “territorial sovereignty” to treat the wounded in Iraq. Virtually all of Syria’s neighbors, including long-standing enemy Israel, have accepted wounded fighters for treatment, so it would be much more shocking if Iraq had refused them treatment.
The situation is a difficult one for Iraq, however, as the Syrian war is overwhelmingly sectarian in nature and the border region is home to Iraq’s Sunni minority, more naturally aligned with the Syrian rebels. Public protests among Iraq’s Sunni Arabs have been ongoing for months as part of an internal political dispute, and militant factions in Iraq have been trying to exploit that fact in fueling a new insurgency.
Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has promised to deploy more troops in Anbar Province after the ambush, accusing both Iraq and Syrian armed factions of taking part in the attack. This deployment could add to tensions with the protesters, however, whose grievances have included Maliki’s use of the military to centralize power and move against political rivals.
Two posters made comments on Press TV to the effect that it was a joint operation by U.S. Specia Forces and Syrian Rebels. It was such a one-sided slaughter, who knows?
This is the hallmark of CIA operation, this will insure a continued conflict in the forceable future between whoever and whomever in Syria. It is cowardly just like the CIA and their radical islamic surrogates.
The Syrian people must look at this as such to shoot down the American's plan there.
And the Great War to Make the Middle East Safe For Israel continues on…only the Jihadist dupes are too stupid to know it.
I am sure what you call stupid got no choice but to defend the innocent Syrian being butchered by Hizbullah, Iranian, Alawites and Al-Maliki's shiats army. Of course Israel is paying for Russia to supply arms for Al-Asad regime. In fact Putin was in Tel Aviv to collect the bell for that. This war is pre-planned by Iran to control the Middle East and spread chaos and murder to expedite the coming of their Al-Mahdi who entered the tunnel 1300 years ago.
as the Syrian war is overwhelmingly sectarian in nature and the border region is home to Iraq’s Sunni minority. Redcules statement. Sunnis are the majority in Iraq. Iraqi government which is 100% controlled by Iran which was handed to them by the US government involved up to their nose helping Syrian government which itself controlled by the Iranian who claim it as their 35th province. This Anti War became a puppet of US government who is involved with the Zionist regime helping Al-Asad to stay in power.
Why does this attack require a "CIA operation" according to some people?
Sunni insurgents in Anbar, allied to the Sunnis next door, have been ambushing Iraqi units for years – often killing dozens at a time. This time they attacked dozens of disarmed Syrians and a handful of Iraqi troops. A slaughter resulted.
There's no need for US involvement.