Syria condemns U.S. raid as “terrible crime”

Syria accused the United States on Monday of committing a “terrible crime” in killing eight civilians during a helicopter attack on a Syrian farm near the border with Iraq.

Syria has said four U.S. helicopters attacked the al-Sukkari farm in the Albou Kamal area in eastern Syria on Sunday and that U.S. soldiers stormed a building in the area.

The United States, which accuses Syria of failing to stem the flow of al Qaeda fighters and other insurgents into Iraq to attack U.S. forces, has neither confirmed nor denied the incident.

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“This is an outrageous raid which is against international law. It is a terrible crime. I don’t know the political meaning of it. We are expecting clarifications from the Americans,” Syrian Ambassador to London Sami al-Khiyami told Reuters.

Khiyami said the Syrian authorities were still awaiting details from the Americans on the raid before deciding what measures to take and whether to lodge a complaint with the United Nations Security Council.

“We are expecting clarifications. Depending what they give as reasons we will see what to do next … They killed civilians. They had to admit their mistake and they have to compensate (the people) for it.”

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