No cite, but I just heard on the radio (Democracy Now) that a U.S. officer has just announced, for the first time, that U.S. troops on the Iraq-Syria border are coming under fire from shells launched from inside Syria. Rumsfeld has, in the past, accused the Syrians of supporting Iraqi insurgents. Has anyone else heard anything about this? We’ve had discussions on this board about the possibility of a war (or some kind of armed conflict) between the U.S. and Iran. Is it possible Syria will come first?
Here’s an AP wire report on the subject, dated yesterday. Apparantly these are sporadically-fired 82mm mortar rounds which may or may not not have been fired by the Syrian military (which denies that it is responsible). No damage or casualties reported so far, but I could envision the possibility of a cross-border incursion by US forces if the shelling continues. I doubt we are seeing the first move in a US march toward Damascus, however.
Well I don’t think that just because the shells are coming from Syria means that they’re coming from Syrians, at least not the Syrian military. I would imagine that for Iraqi insurgents Syria is a pretty good place to hide out as the US military is less likely to go after you and the Syrians probably aren’t really motivated to get you out.
I think we’ll probably lay on the political pressure to get the Syrians to go after Iraqi insurgent groups, and maybe do some special-ops stuff ourselves to go after some of them, but I don’t think its important enough to actually move into Syria in any undeniable way.
My understanding (no cite either…working today :)) is that the shells are coming from across the Syrian border…but that Syria itself has nothing to do with it. Appearently some of those non-existant ‘foreign fighters’ are lobbing shells from what they think is a safe haven. It was on the news last night, but they said no one had been hurt, and the Syria was investigating and searching for the people responsible.
-XT
The real question is: is the Bush administration going to hold Cambodia responsible and invade the place anyway?
Whoops… did I say “Cambodia”? I meant “Syria”…
I suppose that depends on ‘Cambodia’s’ response, no?
-XT
Though they need not be foreign fighters to be using Syrian territory as a safe haven from which to be bombarding US forces. Whoever they are, if they think the border will save them they will no doubt discover they are mistaken about a great many things.
I think we need a new word for “Godwinization” . . . one that relates to Vietnam instead of Hitler . . . 
Not that such associations are not sometimes appropriate! In fact, there are many situations where Godwinization itself is perfectly appropriate! Some of them of very recent vintage! :mad:
Well, hell. Sometimes it’s most certainly appropriate. I’ve never used the Vietnam analogy until the Iraq war. I supported the Gulf War in 1991, and I was ready to volunteer, since I was young enough and since I believed it was a just cause (even though I didn’t like the president.) The invasion of Somalia should have been better planned… well, it should have been planned, period. I supported the action in the Balkans, and the invasion of Afghanistan. But this Iraq mess… it’s a dry, sandy Vietnam for a whole new generation.
Oh one, two, three… what’re we fighting for?
Don’t ask me, I don’t know jack
'Bout why we hadda take on Iraq.
Five, six, seven… open up the pearly gates!
Ain’t no time to win real allies!
Whoopie! We’re all gonna die!
I’m surprised no one has said:
" TONKIN BAY " again ?
Er, that’s because they’d be saying “Tonkin Gulf”. 
If it were another Tonkin Gulf incident, that is.
With the U.S. and Iranian navies both patrolling the same waters, it’s not hard to imagine something like that happening in the Persian Gulf. 
Sounds like some bright soul got the idea to get syria more fully commited by lobbing mortar shells across at US forces.
But no , expect that the syrians will come down hard on anyone not wearing the syrian army uniform , toting weapons around.
Declan
Why in whirled would you think that Syria’s actions would have anything to do with a US invasion of Syria?