2008 Abu Kamal raid
 | This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses, and initial news reports may be unreliable. The latest updates to this article may not reflect the most current information. (October 2008) |
| 2008 Abu Kamal raid | |
|---|---|
| Part of Iraq War | |
| Type | Helicopter raid |
| Location | |
| Target | Unknown |
| Date | October 26, 2008 13:45 GMT (16:45 local time [1]) |
| Executed by |  U.S. helicopter-borne United States Special Operations Forces |
| Casualties | 8[2] killed 7[3] injured |
The 2008 Abu Kamal raid was an attack carried out by helicopter-borne United States Special Operations Forces[2] inside Syrian territory on October 26, 2008.[1] The raid is the first known attack by U.S. forces inside Syrian territory.[2] According to the U.S. military, the target was a network of foreign fighters who travel through Syria to join the Iraqi insurgency against the United States-led Coalition in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government.[2]
The helicopter-borne troops carried out the raid inside eastern Syria near Abu Kamal, which is near the Iraqi border city of Al-Qa'im, regarded by the U.S. as the main crossing point into Iraq for fighters, money, and equipment in support of the Iraqi insurgency.[2]
According to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) report, four American helicopters entered Syrian airspace around 16:45 local time on October 26 and deployed soldiers who attacked a nearby civilian building under construction. Sky News reported that two of the four American helicopters landed, allowing 10 soldiers to disembark and storm a building under construction.[4] Eight civilians were reported killed, including a man, his four children, and a married couple.[5]
The target of the raid was said to be a foreign fighter logistics network.[6] A U.S. source told CBS News that "the leader of the foreign fighters, an al-Qaeda officer, was the target of Sunday's cross-border raid." He said the attack was successful but did not say whether or not the al-Qaeda officer was killed.[7]
Aftermath
Syria summoned the U.S. and Iraqi chargés d'affaires to Damascus to protest the unauthorized raid. Sergeant Brooke Murphy, an American military spokesman in Baghdad, said that commanders were investigating.[8] According to the Associated Press, a U.S. official said that a raid had taken place, and had aimed to target members of a foreign fighter logistics network that reaches from Syria into Iraq.[9]
Victims
According to the Syrian online news website Syria-News, the eight civilians killed in the attack were Daoud Muhammad al-Abdallah and his four children, Ahmad Khalifa, and Ali Abbas al-Hasan and his wife.[10]
References
- ^ a b "'US troops' strike inside Syria". BBC. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ a b c d e "US special forces launch rare attack inside of Syria". Associated Press. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "US forces kill eight in helicopter raid on Syria". The Guardian. 2008-10-27. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ "Syrians Killed In US Border Raid". Sky News. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "Aggression by U.S. helicopters against civilian building in Boukamal leads to the martyrdom of 8 citizens". Syrian Arab News Agency. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "US choppers attack Syrian village near Iraq border". International Herald Tribune. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "Syria: U.S. Attack Kills 8 In Border Area: Helicopters Raid Farm In Syrian Village; Al Qaeda Officer Was Target Of Rare Cross-Border Attack". CBS News. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "US forces destroy Syrian construction site near Iraq border, Damascus says". The Daily Telegraph. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "'US helicopter raid' inside Syria". Al Jazeera. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ "مروحيات أمريكية تخترق الأجواء السورية وتقتل ثمانية سوريين وتجرح واحد". Syria-News. 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-10-26.