Monday, March 4, 2013

Is Syria's Civil War Spreading?

File Photo shows an Iraqi soldier monitoring Abu Kamal border crossing with Syria. Press TV

Syrian Troop Ambush in Iraq Heightens Fear of Bigger Sectarian War -- Atlantic Wire

As has been feared for months, violence from the Syrian civil war has spilled across the border into Iraq, threatening an already unstable balance of power in the neighboring country. A group of Syrian soliders were ambushed and killed inside Iraqi territory on Monday, raising concerns that the violent conflicts in both countries could somehow merge.

The Syrian soliders and government employees crossed over the Iraqi border last week to escape a rebel onslaught inside Syria. They turned themselves over to the Iraqi authorities, who refused to let them stay and were escorting the Syrians back across the border when they were attacked. Gunmen ambushed the convoy before they could reach the al-Waleed border crossing, killing most of the Syrians and some of the Iraqi police officers assigned to protect them. The AP says that 42 Syrians were killed, along with seven Iraqis, and that the "well-coordinated" involved guns, rocket-propelled grenades, and machine guns.

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My Comment: Fears of the Syrian civil war spreading appear to be justified ... especially after reading stories like this one.

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