Here we go.... U.S. deploys 20,000 troops to Syria border

[TNOE]

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_9.html

Edit to add snip:

The United States has deployed 20,000 troops along the Syrian border after Syria failed to stop militants from crossing into Iraq.

U.S. military officials said the U.S. troop presence was bolstered beginning in September and has resulted in a significant drop in infiltration from Syria. The U.S. troops are based in the Iraqi province of Anbar, Middle East Newsline reported.

Maj. Gen. Charles Swannack, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division, said the military completed a 200 percent increase in U.S. troops at Anbar. Swannack told a briefing in Baghdad on Tuesday that the increased deployment was also meant to stop infiltration from other Iraqi neighbors, such as Jordan and Saudi Arabia. But the U.S. presence has not halted the flow of insurgents from Syria. On Monday, the U.S. military said six suspected insurgents were captured near the Syrian border. One of them was later killed when he tried to attack a guard.

[MrMonk]

1. How many to Jordan or the Saudi border?

[TNOE]

2. Don't know

the 200% increase sounds alarming to me.

[SeasonedOberver]

18. 200% can mean from 1 to 3

or 20,000 to 60,000

...

[Jacobin]

3. Gee, I thought it was the security forces of Iraq that should

protect Iraq'a borders. Ain't that the way it usually works? Don't we have border guards at Canada crossings to keep those vicious canadians out? Would we blame canada if "they" allowed vicious canadians to come into the U.S.?

I mean WTF? Media covering for the junta just a little? Naaaah. couldn't be that.

[htuttle]

12. Yes, generally it's the responsibility of a country to keep people out...

...not keep them in.

In fact, when a country spends too much energy keeping people in, they tend to be called 'totalitarian' (like North Korea, for example).

[HereSince1628]

14. Not sure how it is now, but US Canada border was not militarized

in the past.

How does anyone judge the credibility of any of these reports.
The response of the RW to the Feith Memo has me unwilling to entertain any report as fact. I admit that is dangerous since the neocons hide their intentions in the open.

[Spazito]

4. Geez, and the bill was just passed to say Syria harbours terrorists...

Here is the thread on the passage. Is the passage of this bill the okay for Bush to attack?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=738837

[eissa]

19. I thought the vote was suppose to be "symbolic"

Now do those I was arguing with earlier understand why I am so angry at our dems voting for this?! NOTHING is symbolic, it is EXACTLY as I feared. That stupid vote is laying the foundation for yet another attack on another third world country. I'm so depressed; it was bad enough watchiing relatives in Iraq suffer, now I have to worry about the ones in Syria :-(

[Screaming Lord Byron]

5. This makes sense. Invade a country, fill it with terrorists, invade next

country, while leaving said terrorists at your back. Napoleon would be proud of that one!

[markus]

6. Yes, but once we get all the terrorists in range of Israeli aircraft

there is the ability to sanitize the area with Isreali nukes.

They all hate the Isrealis anyway, so what the diff? If we go down the Kill Them All, Let God Sort It Out path, it would be less politically palatable.

"They all hate us anyhow / So let's drop the big one now..."
-- Randy Newman

[madrchsod]

7. it`s the world tribune!!!!

gee i can`t find any other news confirmation on this story..hmmmmmm. the whole story sounds made up in bits and pieces..plus when ever i see the great book give away at the bottom of the page it`s right wing bullshit.

[TNOE]

8. Bad Source?

Admittedly - I saw it over at FR - but of course they are excited as hell about it.

[madrchsod]

9. yes i used alot of different

wordings at google,hell i couldn`t even come up with their headline...but maybe something will pop up,but i`m not holding my breath

[rucky]

15. They were the ones that reported WMDs Found

[fshrink]

10. How many in the montaneous

Iranian border?

[bigrootcanal]

11. Fill me in here

I have not been paying close attention to the Syrian actions lately.

Have they been allowing "terrorists" to run free in Syria or has Syria been letting people from Syria into Iraq to fight against the occupation?

[HereSince1628]

13. I thought I saw a "no evidence of infiltration" post this week

on Antiwar.com.

This report sort of sounds like "terror"-baiting on the part of the WT

[45th Med]

16. Hezbollah will be a tough customer to deal with!

Hezbollah kicked Israel out of Syria and Lebanon in their only military defeat ever. They are a tough customer to deal with militarily. What a really dumb move to make, we already have our hands full in Iraq, now we want more guerilla style attacks in/near Syria?

Is RUMMY really this stupid?

*And yes, I know the answer to that question is in the affirmative....*

[Old and In the Way]

17. Since Saudi Arabia is the incubator of Islamic Fundies,

i'd fully expect that this border is the one that should be protected. If true, this is really bullshit.

[snippy]

20. Bush is an honorary member of the House of Saud.

No invasion there unless Osama topples the royal family and takes the oil fields.