DAMASCUS, 4 July 2005 — Syrian forces yesterday killed a terrorist and arrested 34 others who were trying to illegally cross the border into neighboring Lebanon.
According to the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), two Syrian security officers were also killed in the gunbattle. The agency did not reveal the identity or nationality of the slain terrorist nor did it say when the incident happened.
“The Syrian security forces have killed a militant holding an Arab nationality as he tried to illegally cross the border into Lebanon. He was among other members of a radical group which he led,” the agency said, giving the initials of the killed militant as M. Z.
It said that M.Z. opened fire at the security patrol near the Syrian-Lebanese border and killed two of its members. “He was finally gunned down and his companions were arrested at the end of the armed clash,” SANA said.
“Investigations have led to the arrest of 34 members of the radical group. Forged passports and other documents, including photos, personal belongings and other items were seized in a house used by the same militants,” the agency reported.
Syria has been routinely accused by the United States of allowing Arab fighters to infiltrate from its borders into Iraq to fight American and Iraqi troops there. Damascus says it does its best to stop insurgents from sneaking into Iraq.
Syria’s former military intelligence chief in Lebanon, subjected to a US assets freeze last week, insisted in comments published yesterday that he had “not one cent” abroad for Washington to block.
On Thursday, the US Treasury Department put Ghazali and Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan on its list of “specially designated nationals” under a presidential antiterrorism order.
