Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
05DAMASCUS6423 | 2005-12-12 08:48:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Damascus |
VZCZCXYZ0033 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHDM #6423 3460848 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 120848Z DEC 05 FM AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6049 INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD 0539 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC |
C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 006423 |
1. (C) Summary: Two more shoot-outs between armed elements and SARG security services have occurred in Syria, a week after two earlier clashes in the Aleppo area (reported reftel). A December 8 incident involving armed Islamists took place near Aleppo, and the second, possibly involving criminal elements, occurred in southern Syria, near Dara'a, the night of December 10-11. There were unconfirmed reports of fatalities in both clashes. SARG press coverage, while limited, seems designed to convince observers that Syria, like others in the region, faces a terrorist threat and that its security forces are mounting vigorous counter-terrorism efforts. End Summary. 2. (SBU) The first of the most recent clashes between SARG security forces and armed Islamists occurred December 8 outside a village near Idlib, located some 30 miles southwest of Aleppo (200 miles north of Damascus). The official Syrian press agency, SANA, reported that security forces shot and killed five militants during an hour-long exchange of fire. Three others reportedly committed suicide before they could be captured, according to media accounts. SANA reported -- as it did in describing those involved last week -- that the militants belonged to a "takfeeri" fundamentalist group that insists on a strict interpretation of the Koran and of Sharia law that condemns as infidels those who do not accept this view. 3. (C) According to Albert Aji of the Associated Press, who spoke by phone to eyewitnesses, Syrian helicopters could be heard flying in the area where the clash occurred. Aji said that the militants were thought to belong to a Jund a-Sham (Soldiers of Syria) cell associated with Abu Musab Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaida in Iraq. It was not clear, he added, whether the group was focused on mounting attacks in Syria that would embarrass the regime or if the militants were providing support for the insurgency in Iraq. The Syrian media did not provide any photographs or film footage of the bodies of the dead militants, said Aji. When asked what had provoked the attack, Aji speculated that it represented part of a government crackdown on armed Islamists and had taken place at the initiative of the SARG. 4. (C) The second incident occurred the night of December 10-11 in the village of Da'el, located near Dara'a, some 40 miles south of Damascus. Two Embassy FSN's with relatives in the area reported the shoot-out, although as of midday December 12, there has been no press coverage or SANA statement on the incident. The RSO/FSN investigator who followed up reported that SARG security forces from the Political Security Directorate (PSD) were in pursuit of two vehicles. There are indications that PSD had been following the vehicles for a substantial distance. During the shoot-out that took place when the vehicles were stopped in Da'el, two of the armed gunmen were wounded and several others reportedly escaped. There are unconfirmed reports that one policeman and several bystanders were killed. There are preliminary indications that these men may have been smugglers rather than political militants, but the details remain sketchy. 5. (C) Comment: While it has not been possible to nail down with precision all the details surrounding these two most recent clashes, or the two that preceded them by one week, there have been enough eyewitness accounts to confirm that the clashes occurred. The intentions of the individuals with whom the SARG security forces clashed are somewhat less clear, however, although SARG press coverage seems designed to convince observers that Syria, like others in the region, faces a terrorist threat and that its security forces are mounting vigorous counter-terrorism efforts. SECHE |