LONDON — Western intelligence sources are skeptical about official Syria reports of Monday's attack on the U.S. embassy in Damascus.
"The pattern is always the same," an intelligence source said. "A group
of terrorists assault a Western installation. The Syrian forces come and
kill all or most of them and the regime claims to be fighting terrorism."
On Monday, the Assad regime reported foiling an attack against the U.S.
embassy in Damascus, the first such strike against American diplomats since
2000. The Interior Ministry said three of the four attackers were killed
during a strike that included a car bombing, light weapons fire and
rocket-propelled grenades.
The attackers were identified as Syrian nationals. On Wednesday, Syrian
state television said the fourth attacker died of his wounds.
Western intelligence sources said the regime of President Bashar Assad
has reported attacks on U.S. and other foreign targets in Syria by Islamic
insurgents linked to Al Qaida. But the sources said no known group,
including Al Qaida, has ever confirmed responsibility for the strikes.
"I do think that the Syrians reacted to this attack in a way that helped
to secure our people and we very much appreciate that," U.S. Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice said. "I think it's very early to try and speculate
why this may have happened."
Syrian officials attributed the attack to a group named Jund Al Shams,
which they said was linked to Al Qaida. But intelligence sources said Jund,
also blamed for a June 2006 strike against Syrian state television and
radio, has never been adopted by Al Qaida and appears to be a group aligned
with Syrian intelligence.
The State Department does not maintain an ambassador in Damascus amid a
decline in U.S.-Syrian relations. But intelligence sources said Syria has
cooperated with the United States in the secret detention of Al Qaida
insurgents captured in Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Western intelligence agencies continue to doubt reports of
Al Qaida-aligned strikes on foreign targets in Syria.
No Americans were hurt in the morning attack, described as more
professional than previous Islamic insurgency operations in Damascus. The
incident was said to have lasted 20 minutes.
