We have reports of convoys heading to Syria before and during the Iraq War main phase. We had jihadis from Syria fight us in the advance up to Baghdad. We've had fights along the border. One of our Marines mysteriously appeared in Lebanon after disappearing inside Iraq in a sure indication that he was sent back up the pipeline.
The Syrians are hip deep:
A network of Syrian mosques is sending men, money and weapons to Iraq, fuelling the insurgency.
An investigation by the Telegraph has shown that Arab volunteers are streaming across the border despite Damascus government claims that it is curbing cross-border terrorism.
Much of the traffic is financed by former members of Saddam Hussein's regime living in the Syrian capital and has the backing of prominent tribal leaders.
The evidence from Fallujah seems pretty clear:
U.S. military intelligence officials have concluded that the Iraqi insurgency is being directed to a greater degree than previously recognized from Syria, where they said former Saddam Hussein loyalists have found sanctuary and are channeling money and other support to those fighting the established government.
Based on information gathered during the recent fighting in Fallujah, Baghdad and elsewhere in the Sunni Triangle, the officials said that a handful of senior Iraqi Baathists operating in Syria are collecting money from private sources in Saudi Arabia and Europe and turning it over to the insurgency.
According to the article, we are exerting diplomatic pressure on Syria to cut down infiltration and to expel Baathists from Syria. We've also worked with the French to pressure Syria over their occupation of Lebanon.
Will it be enough? I continue to believe that Syria is vulnerable to non-military measures to change their behavior. They oppose us not from ideology but from their view of the usefulness of supporting the Baathists in Iraq. The Syrian government is narrowly based on the Allawite minority of Syria that Moslems are suspicuous of as it is. If we make this support hurt Syria, they will stop. But can we get our allies to help in putting economic and diplomatic screws to the Syrians? Well that is a problem now isn't it?
Military options are limited since we do not have the strength to fight everywhere. It might not be wise even if we had the troops. I'm no fan of expanding problems when the current problems are not yet solved. But since Syria is part of the current problem, this is not a suggestion that we ignore Syria. Certainly, once the Iraqi elections are over we should attempt to ease out of the daily counter-insurgency business by putting Iraqi units into the fight and move our units to the Syrian border to bolster efforts there to halt infiltration. Perhaps Syrian territory should be subject to attack when we see suspicious activity. And it might be a good idea for some things inside Syria to mysteriously start blowing up.
I'm not sure what we can do, but there must be consequences for siding with our enemies.
