“Iraqi state television aired a video Wednesday showing what the U.S.-funded channel said was the confession of a captured Syrian officer who said he trained Iraqi insurgents to behead people and build car bombs to attack American and Iraqi troops. The video also showed an Iraqi who said the insurgents practiced beheading animals to train for decapitating hostages. Syrian officials could not immediately be reached for comment on the claims. The video comes at a time when the Bush administration has stepped up pressure on Syria to stop meddling in Iraqi affairs by allowing insurgents to cross into the country to fight coalition troops and by harboring former Iraqi regime members. Syria has denied the charges.”
[MSNBC]
“The Syrian intelligence officer who appeared on the U.S.-funded Iraqi state television station had a stark message about the insurgency he’d helped train people to build car bombs and behead people. ”My name is Anas Ahmed al-Essa. I live in Halab. I am from Syria,“ he said by way of introduction naming what he said was his home in Syria. ”What’s your job?“ he was asked by someone off-camera. ”I am a lieutenant in intelligence.“ Then a second question. ”Which intelligence?“ The reply: ”Syrian intelligence.“ And so began a detailed 15-minute confession broadcast by al-Iraqiya TV on Wednesday, in which the man, identified as 30-year-old Lt. Anas Ahmed al-Essa, said his group was recruited to ”cause chaos in Iraq … to bar America from reaching Syria.“ ”We received all the instructions from Syrian intelligence,“ said the man, who appeared in the propaganda video along with 10 Iraqis who said they had also been recruited by Syrian intelligence officers.”
[ABC News]
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