US embassy cable - 05DAMASCUS6423

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAMASCUS 006423 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
PARIS FOR ZEYA; LONDON FOR TSOU 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/12/2015 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, SY 
SUBJECT: TWO MORE SHOOT-OUTS BETWEEN ARMED ELEMENTS AND 
SARG SECURITY SERVICES 
 
REF: DAMASCUS 6326 
 
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires Stephen A. Seche, per 1.4 b,d. 
 
1.  (C)  Summary:  Two more shoot-outs between armed elements 
and SARG security services have occurred in Syria, a week 
after two earlier clashes in the Aleppo area (reported 
reftel).  A December 8 incident involving armed Islamists 
took place near Aleppo, and the second, possibly involving 
criminal elements, occurred in southern Syria, near Dara'a, 
the night of December 10-11.  There were unconfirmed reports 
of fatalities in both clashes.  SARG press coverage, while 
limited, seems designed to convince observers that Syria, 
like others in the region, faces a terrorist threat and that 
its security forces are mounting vigorous counter-terrorism 
efforts.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU)  The first of the most recent clashes between SARG 
security forces and armed Islamists occurred December 8 
outside a village near Idlib, located some 30 miles southwest 
of Aleppo (200 miles north of Damascus).  The official Syrian 
press agency, SANA, reported that security forces shot and 
killed five militants during an hour-long exchange of fire. 
Three others reportedly committed suicide before they could 
be captured, according to media accounts.  SANA reported -- 
as it did in describing those involved last week -- that the 
militants belonged to a "takfeeri" fundamentalist group that 
insists on a strict interpretation of the Koran and of Sharia 
law that condemns as infidels those who do not accept this 
view. 
 
3.  (C) According to Albert Aji of the Associated Press, who 
spoke by phone to eyewitnesses, Syrian helicopters could be 
heard flying in the area where the clash occurred. Aji said 
that the militants were thought to belong to a Jund a-Sham 
(Soldiers of Syria) cell associated with Abu Musab Zarqawi, 
the head of al-Qaida in Iraq.  It was not clear, he added, 
whether the group was focused on mounting attacks in Syria 
that would embarrass the regime or if the militants were 
providing support for the insurgency in Iraq.  The Syrian 
media did not provide any photographs or film footage of the 
bodies of the dead militants, said Aji. When asked what had 
provoked the attack, Aji speculated that it represented part 
of a government crackdown on armed Islamists and had taken 
place at the initiative of the SARG. 
 
4.  (C) The second incident occurred the night of December 
10-11 in the village of Da'el, located near Dara'a, some 40 
miles south of Damascus.  Two Embassy FSN's with relatives in 
the area reported the shoot-out, although as of midday 
December 12, there has been no press coverage or SANA 
statement on the incident.  The RSO/FSN investigator who 
followed up reported that SARG security forces from the 
Political Security Directorate (PSD) were in pursuit of two 
vehicles. There are indications that PSD had been following 
the vehicles for a substantial distance.  During the 
shoot-out that took place when the vehicles were stopped in 
Da'el, two of the armed gunmen were wounded and several 
others reportedly escaped.  There are unconfirmed reports 
that one policeman and several bystanders were killed.  There 
are preliminary indications that these men may have been 
smugglers rather than political militants, but the details 
remain sketchy. 
 
5.  (C) Comment:  While it has not been possible to nail down 
with precision all the details surrounding these two most 
recent clashes, or the two that preceded them by one week, 
there have been enough eyewitness accounts to confirm that 
the clashes occurred.  The intentions of the individuals with 
whom the SARG security forces clashed are somewhat less 
clear, however, although SARG press coverage seems designed 
to convince observers that Syria, like others in the region, 
faces a terrorist threat and that its security forces are 
mounting vigorous counter-terrorism efforts. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SECHE