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処｢修羅戦争掲示板既報と呼応するシリア国境で米海兵隊5名死亡戦闘
第三勢力としてイスラエル浮上か。以下は、友人の転送で有料か登録方式らしい。
http://www.stratfor.biz/Story.neo?storyId=230842
Syria a Suspect in Iraqi Border Clashes
Summary
Around 200 insurgents have attacked a U.S. Marine outpost near Husaybah, leaving at least five U.S. Marines and 10 Iraqis dead. Although the attack might have been simply a guerrilla strike against a target of opportunity designed to distract U.S. attention from the besieged city of Al Fallujah, the size of the Iraqi force, its relative sophistication and the proximity of the clash to the border point to Syrian involvement. Grave consequences would result if Syria were supporting Iraqi rebel groups.
Analysis
U.S. Marines battled nearly 200 Iraqi militants in the previously calm city of Husaybah overnight April 17 and 18. Five U.S. Marines and 10 Iraqis have been reported killed and at least 12 U.S. troops were wounded in the fighting.
This latest attack on the relatively small contingent of Marines -- roughly 1,000 -- in and around Husaybah could portend greater troubles for the U.S. military, which already is bogged down in the Shiite south and the Sunni Triangle. The size of the guerrilla force, its relative sophistication and Husaybah's proximity to Syria could indicate increasing Syrian involvement in the Sunni insurgency. If that is the case, it would further tax U.S. forces -- which already are stretched thin -- and the military would have to redeploy troops to another previously calm area of Iraq.
The attack began late April 17 when insurgents detonated explosives near a U.S. patrol. This relatively routine event prompted a Marine response. As the Marines moved away from the safety of their compound, the insurgents directly engaged them. This is a tactic not altogether new to Iraq, but it indicates a minimal level of sophistication and communication between militants. A 14-hour battle between Marines and guerrillas ensued in the city, which has approximately 100,000 residents.
U.S. military officials said April 19 that the fighters came from restive areas near Al Fallujah and Ar Ramadi. The Marines have the area surrounding Al Fallujah virtually cordoned off and are running intensive roadway patrols almost around the clock, so this seems extremely unlikely. Following the attack, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers warned Damascus to cease support for insurgents and be more watchful of activities along the border. This is not the first time U.S. officials have threatened Syria during this war.
Syria has claimed it is in full control of official border crossings into Iraq, but has admitted it is incapable of securing the entire boundary. These arguments might serve to reduce Damascus's official culpability, but they will do little to stem concerns that militants are entering Iraq through Syria.
Syrian involvement in the Iraqi insurgency is not entirely new. Damascus was believed to be heavily involved in aiding militants during heavy fighting in the Ramadan offensive in late October and November 2003. When the offensive began to wane -- and U.S. forces regained the upper hand -- Syria relaxed its support for the guerrillas. Now that the United States appears to be slipping again, Damascus is taking the opportunity to press its advantage; should the United States regain its footing, Syria likely will backpedal again.
The coordination of the attack in Husbayah leaves little doubt there was some kind of foreign involvement -- and it likely came from Syria. Whether that involvement had the explicit support of the government or if Damascus is turning a blind eye is not the point. The key issue is that the coalition does not have enough troops to camp out along the Iraqi-Syrian border. As recent events have proven, the Iraqi army is anything but reliable, so security would have to come from the Syrian side. If Damascus is unwilling or unable to plug the porous border, Washington could be in for more trouble as a third front opens in Iraq in what had been the peaceful northwest.
Turning over border security to Syria would give the United States a choice: continue to suffer attacks from the west, abandon the border altogether, or bring new pressure to bear on Damascus through a third party. That "third party" could well be Israel.
題名には必ず「阿修羅さんへ」と記述してください。