"Huwezi kupigana vita Mashariki ya Kati bila Misri, na huwezi kupata amani bila Syria." -- Henry A. Kissinger Tarehe 26 Oktoba 2008, helikopta nne za Marekani ziliruka 8

"You can't make war in the Middle East without Egypt and you can't make peace without Syria.” -- Henry A. Kissinger On October 26 2008, four U.S. helicopters flew 8

kilomita ndani ya Syria kutoka Iraq, na kushambulia kambi ya shamba katika Syria ya Mashariki. Operesheni hiyo, iliyoongozwa na Majeshi Maalum ya Marekani, iliua watu wanane wakiwemo watoto wanne na mwanachama wa Al Qaida Abu Ghadiya. Mara baada ya shambulio hilo, utawala wa Syria ulilaani vikali shambulio hilo kama ukiukaji wa mamlaka yake, na ukachukua mfululizo wa hatua za kulipiza kisasi kama maandamano. Hizi zilijumuisha kuondoa wanajeshi wa Syria kutoka mpaka wa Iraq, kuwahamasisha umati ili kuonyesha hasira dhidi ya Marekani, kufunga shule ya Marekani na kituo cha utamaduni cha Marekani. Zaidi ya hayo, utawala wa Al-Assad ulidai msamaha rasmi na fidia kwa waathirika. Hata hivyo, zaidi ya maneno ya hasira, maelezo mapya yameibuka yanayoashiria ushiriki wa Syria katika shambulio hilo.

kilometres into Syria from Iraq, and attacked a farm compound in Eastern Syriaxi. The operation led by US Special Forces killed eight people including four children and Al Qaida operative Abu Ghadiya. Immediately after the raid, the Syrian regime vehemently denounced the attack as a violation of its sovereignty and carried out a series of retaliatory measures in protest. This included the removal of Syrian troops from the Iraqi border, mobilization of crowds to vent anger against America, closure of the American school and the US cultural centre. Additionally, Al-Assad’ s regime demanded an official apology and compensation for the victims. However, beyond the fiery rhetoric, new details have emerged that suggest Syria’ s complicity in the attack.

Tarehe 2 Novemba 2008, gazeti la Kiingereza The Times lilifichua kwamba Syria ilikuwa imetoa ruhusa ya uvamizi huo kufanyika, na operesheni hiyo ilipoharibika, huduma za siri za Syria zilizojulikana kwa ukatili zilimiminika katika eneo hilo kusafisha fujo hiyo na kuwanyamazisha wakazi wa vijiji vya huko. Gazeti hilo lilifichua zaidi kwamba eneo la shamba hilo lilikuwa peponi kwa wapiganaji wa jihadi, ambao walikuwa huru kufanya mafunzo na kuvuka mpaka wa Iraq. Baadhi yao walizungumza kwa lafudhi nzito ya Kiiraq. Mafunuo haya si mapya, na yanathibitisha tuhuma za muda mrefu kwamba Syria inaisaidia Amerika kwa siri katika kuleta utulivu nchini Iraq.

On November 2 2008, the English newspaper, The Times revealed that Syria had given permission for the raid to go ahead and when the operation was bungled, Syria’ s notorious secret intelligence services flooded the region to clear up the mess and muzzle local villagers. The paper further disclosed that the farm area was a heaven for jihadi fighters who were free to train and move across the Iraqi border. Some spoke with thick Iraqi accents. The revelations are not new and confirm long standing suspicions that Syria is covertly assisting America to stabilize Iraq.

Baada ya kuanguka kwa Saddam, Wairaqi wengi walikimbia Iraq na kutafuta hifadhi nchini Syria. Hivi sasa idadi yao inakadiriwa kuwa karibu milioni 1.5. Chini ya usimamizi wa Marekani, Syria ilianzisha kambi za mafunzo ya wapiganaji ili kuwaajiri na kuwafundisha wakimbizi wa Kiiraqi kuwa wapiganaji, kwa lengo wazi la kupenyeza upinzani wa Iraq, kutoa taarifa za kijasusi za wakati halisi kwa maafisa wa Marekani, na kutekeleza operesheni za siri ndani ya Iraq, hasa zile zinazochochea mifarakano ya kimadhehebu. Syria pia ilianzisha vituo vya ukaguzi kila kilomita 4 kando ya mpaka unaopakana na Iraq. Kupitia juhudi kama hizo, utawala wa Syria uliweza kufuatilia na kufuatilia mienendo ya wapiganaji wa jihadi wanaovuka mpaka. Mpangilio huu ulisababisha kukamatwa kwa maelfu kadhaa ya wapiganaji huru wa upinzani pamoja na kuuawa kwa walengwa kadhaa wa thamani kubwa, likiwa la hivi karibuni Abu Ghadiya.

After the fall of Saddam, many Iraqis fled Iraq and sought refuge in Syria. At present their numbers stand at approximately 1.5 million. Under American auspices, Syria set up militant training camps to recruit and train the Iraqi refugees into fighters with the explicit purpose of infiltrating the Iraqi resistance, providing real-time intelligence to US officials, and executing covert operations in Iraq, especially those that encourage sectarian discord. Syria also established checkpoints every 4 kilometres along the border that abuts Iraq. Through such endeavours the Syrian regime was able to monitor and keep track of jihadi fighters moving across the border. This arrangement resulted in the arrest of several thousand independent resistance fighters as well as the elimination of several high value targets— latest addition being Abu Ghadiya.

Baadaye, Syria iliweza kwa kiasi fulani kutuliza mpaka wa magharibi wa Iraq na kusaidia udhibiti wa Marekani katika eneo hilo. Ili kutoa uhalali zaidi wa kisiasa kwa serikali dhaifu ya Iraq inayoegemea Marekani, Syria hivi karibuni ilirejesha uhusiano wa kidiplomasia na kutuma balozi wake wa kwanza Baghdad baada ya miaka 26. Haishangazi basi kwamba mnamo Septemba Jalal Talabani, Rais wa Iraq, alimwambia bwana wake, Rais wa Marekani George Bush, kwamba Syria haikuwa tena tatizo kwa usalama wa Iraq. Sasa, kama Syria haikuwa tishio, kwa nini Marekani ilifanya uvamizi huo?

Subsequently, Syria was able to some extent pacify Iraq’ s western border and aid America’ s control over the area. To provide greater political legitimacy to Iraq’ s ailing pro- American government; Syria recently normalized diplomatic ties and sent its first ambassador to Baghdad in 26 years. Not surprisingly then, that in September Jalal Talabani, Iraq's president, told his master US President George Bush that Syria no longer posed a problem to Iraqi security. So if Syria posed no threat then why did the US conduct the raid?

Inaonekana kwamba muda wa shambulio hilo ulipangwa kutimiza malengo matatu. Kwanza, Marekani ilipewa taarifa muhimu ya kumkamata Abu Ghadiya. Wiki chache kabla, wapiganaji kadhaa walikamatwa huko Baquba, kituo cha wapiganaji wa Al-Qaida nchini Iraq, na taarifa zilizopatikana kutoka kwao ndizo zilizochochea uvamizi huo. Pili, kuondolewa kwa wanajeshi wa mpaka wa Syria kunaisaidia Marekani kuishinikiza Iraq kutia saini mkataba mpya wa usalama utakaoendelea kuwaweka rasmi majeshi ya Marekani nchini Iraq hadi mwaka 2011. Tatu, Marekani ilitumia uvamizi huo kutangaza mafundisho yake ya vita vya kujihami kabla ya wakati, ambayo yamepanuliwa kwa kiasi kikubwa.

It appears that the timing of the attack was meant to achieve three objectives. First, America was presented with valuable information to apprehend Abu Ghadiya. A few weeks before, several militants were captured in Baquba a base for Al-Qaida fighters in Iraq and information gained from them prompted the raid. Second, the removal of Syrian border troops is helping America pressurize the Iraqis to sign up to a new security pact that will keep US forces formally in Iraq till 2011. Third, America exploited the raid to announce its much expanded pre-emptive war doctrine.

Tarehe 28 Oktoba, katika Taasisi ya Carnegie ya Amani ya Kimataifa (CEIP), Waziri wa Ulinzi wa Marekani Robert Gates alitangaza kwamba "Marekani itawawajibisha kikamilifu dola yoyote, kundi la kigaidi, au mhusika yeyote asiye wa kidola, au mtu binafsi, atakayeunga mkono au kuwezesha juhudi za kigaidi za kupata au kutumia silaha za maangamizi makubwa." Mashambulizi ya kuvuka mipaka dhidi ya Syria na Pakistan yanayofanywa na vikosi vya Marekani vilivyopo Iraq na Afghanistan ni udhihirisho wa mtazamo huu.

On October 28 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), US Defence Secretary Robert Gates declared that "the US will hold any state, terrorist group, or other non-state actor or individual fully accountable for supporting or enabling terrorist efforts to obtain or use weapons of mass destruction.” The crossborder raids against Syria and Pakistan from US forces stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan is a manifestation of this strand of thinking.

Ushirikiano wa Syria na Marekani hauishii Iraq pekee, bali unaenea hadi Lebanon na Palestina. Usaidizi wa Damascus kwa makundi yanayounga mkono Syria ndani ya Lebanon, pamoja na juhudi za Syria za kufanya amani na Israel, vimeundwa ili kuwezesha Marekani kudhibiti eneo hili kwa nguvu.

Syria’ s collusion with America is not just limited to Iraq but extends to Lebanon and Palestine. Damascus’ s support of pro-Syrian factions in Lebanon and Syria’ s peace overtures to Israel are designed to facilitate America’ s stranglehold over the region.

Novemba 3, 2008

November 3, 2008