UPDATE: SANA – Syrian News reports on its English language site:

An official media source on Sunday announced that four US military helicopters at 4.45 p.m. violated the Syrian airspaces in al-Boukamal, with 8 KM depth at al-Sukariah Farm.

“The four helicopters launched aggression on a civilian building under construction and fired against the workers inside the building, among them the wife of the building guard, leading to the martyrdom of 8 citizens and wounding another… the aggressive helicopters later left for the Iraqi lands,” the Source added.

The Euphrates river flows through this photo. The Iraqi town of al Qaim is right on the border though not name in the photo. Americans have struck targets in this area before.

BBC

Unidentified helicopters have carried out an attack inside Syria along its border with Iraq, Syrian media says.

The official Syrian news agency Sana said the raid took place in the Bou Kamal border area, in eastern Syria.

One report said that the helicopters were American, but there is no independent confirmation.

The Sana news agency quoted residents as saying that the attack targeted a house in the area in which a man and his four sons and two workers died.

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U.S. Strikes into Syria! July 2, 2003
View From Syria May 13, 2005

A van loaded with tangerines from Syria awaits inspection at the Husaybah port-of-entry facility. It has been two months since the reopening of the renovated port-of-entry facility at the Iraqi-Syrian border, and the region is beginning to prosper from the increased trade.

(more…)

MNF-I

An al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist killed during a recent Coalition forces operation has been positively identified as Abu Maysara.

Maysara, also known as Abu Basha’ir, was a Syrian who spoke an Iraqi dialect. He was a member of Abu Ayyub al-Masri’s inner circle and served as a senior advisor. Maysara was specifically responsible for providing extremist spiritual guidance and rebuttal on terrorist matters, perverting Islamic faith to allow terrorism, murder and torture. He was also known to provide logistical support to al-Qaeda operations and was a key leader in the al-Qaeda in Iraq media network.

Maysara was killed during an operation northeast of Samarra Nov. 17 (see MNF-I Press Release A071117a, “Coalition forces target al-Qaeda networks; six terrorists killed, 10 detained,” dated Nov. 17, 2007). During the operation, Coalition forces were targeting al-Qaeda in Iraq media networks, specifically, a building which was reportedly used as a propaganda house.

(more…)

and not in the good way.

MNF-I

Iraqi Forces, with U.S. Special Forces as advisers, targeted Al Qaeda in Iraq and and other terrorist operations in two intelligence-driven operations Aug. 15 across northern Iraq. The forces detained eight suspected terrorists, including the leader of a sniper cell in western Mosul.

In the first operation in the Al Mansour district of western Mosul, Iraqi Security Forces detained an alleged sniper amir who operates in western Mosul. Intelligence indicates the targeted individual actively recruits snipers to his cell from other groups and smuggles these snipers back and forth over the western Iraqi border in order for them to receive advanced sniper training in Syria. The forces also seized weapons, ammunition and assorted documents at the suspect’s residence.

In a second operation, the 3rd Brigade 5th Iraqi Army Division forces detained leader of an Al Qaeda in Iraq terrorist smuggling cell in the Hamrin Ridge region. Five other suspicious individuals were also detained. The forces also found weapons and ammunition at the targeted location.

No Iraqi or U.S. Special Forces members were injured during this operation.

Summer heat caused it, huh? Yeah, sure. [/sarcasm]

BBC

An explosion at an arms depot in northern Syria has killed at least 15 soldiers and wounded 50, the Sana state news agency has said.

The explosion took place early in the morning at Musalmiya, about 10km (6 miles) north of the city of Aleppo.

“One hospital I went to was filled with injured personnel,” a witness told the Reuters news agency.

Officials say the blast was caused by high summer temperatures, up to 50C, which set off explosive materials.

It was “not the result of sabotage”, they said.

Syria has seen violence by Islamic extremists in recent years, with security forces clashing several times with militant groups.

An official at Aleppo University Hospital told the Associated Press news agency that the bodies of five dead soldiers and 10 wounded were brought to the facility.