Par for the course

[Louis Proyect <lnp3@xxxxxxxxx>]

U.S. revises account of convoy strike
Officials now say Syrians may not have fired on U.S. troops during chase

NBC, MSNBC AND NEWS SERVICES  June 24 —  Nearly a week after U.S. 
commando forces attacked a convoy of suspected Iraqi fugitives near the 
Iraqi-Syrian border, Pentagon officials on Tuesday were backing away 
from previous statements indicating that Syrian border guards engaged 
the Americans in a firefight. Defense Department officials also said 
they had no evidence that Saddam Hussein or his sons were in the convoy.

THE PENTAGON has said little publicly about the incident last Wednesday, 
and calls to the Syrian Embassy in Washington went unanswered. But 
officials who briefed reporters provided a few new details about the 
confrontation, which resulted in casualties from both sides of the 
border, including several Syrian border guards.

The Pentagon said that U.S. forces on Tuesday were still occupying a 
town where at least some of the fighting occurred. Defense Department 
officials said the U.S. troops have released some 20 people who were 
detained and have yet to say whether the operation netted any 
significant fugitives.

SADDAM AIDE TRIGGERED RAID

Working partly on information from the highest Iraqi captured so far — 
Abid Hamid Mahmud al-Tikriti — special operations soldiers attacked a 
convoy of several vehicles in an attempt to stop what they believed were 
high-level fugitives linked to the fallen Iraqi government.

A senior Pentagon official told NBC News on Sunday that there were 
indications that Saddam or his sons, Odai or Qusai, were in the convoy, 
but on Monday defense officials said that they had no specifics on who 
was in the convoy and that they had no evidence it included Saddam or 
his sons. U.S. forces planned to conduct DNA testing on remains of some 
of the dead, the officials said.

RUN TOWARD THE BORDER

At some point in the operation, the convoy of a half dozen vehicles was 
in a compound at the village of Dhib, where they were bombed and an 
undisclosed number of houses or other buildings were destroyed, 
officials said. A few of the vehicles moved out of the compound and were 
believed to be attempting to head for the Syrian border. They, too, were 
struck.

Five Syrian border guards were wounded — three later treated by U.S. 
forces. It was unclear where they had been positioned. Officials first 
said the guards had engaged in a firefight with Americans, but later 
said it was unclear whether they were hit in shooting with ground troops 
or by an air attack.

Americans may have pursued part of the convoy across the border into 
Syria, one official said.

None of the Syrians had been returned to their government as of Tuesday, 
officials said.

full: http://www.msnbc.com/news/929371.asp?0cv=CA01

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