More foreign fighters enter Iraq via Syria: US

U.S. envoys last week raised concerns with Damascus about Islamist fighters transiting Syria to enter Iraq, the State Department said Monday, following a report that increasing numbers of foreign combatants are making the crossing.

Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman and National Security Council official Daniel Shapiro raised the concerns Thursday during their second visit to Damascus since President Barack Obama's inauguration, the State Department said.

"We continue to have very deep concern about this issue of the flow of foreign fighters going into Iraq via Syria," said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly.

He urged Syria "to take immediate and decisive action, including better screening of individuals entering Damascus airport, increased security on the Iraq-Syria border, better cooperation with the government of Iraq, and denying foreign fighter facilitator’s safe haven within Syria."

We continue to have very deep concern about this issue of the flow of foreign fighters going into Iraq via Syria

State Department spokesman Ian Kelly

Qaeda "reactivated"

The administration last week renewed sanctions against Syria, accusing Damascus of supporting Mideast terrorism and undermining
Iraqi stability.

General David Petraeus, who heads the U.S. Central Command, told Congress late last month that the al-Qaeda in Iraq pipeline through Syria had been "reactivated."

The U.S. military is particularly concerned about the area around Mosul, in the northwest near the Syrian border, which officials have described as the last bastion of al-Qaeda in Iraq.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported late Sunday that Syria had reactivated a network used by al-Qaeda to smuggle Islamic fighters into Iraq.

"We do think that the knowledge of these networks exists at least within the Syrian intelligence community," the newspaper wrote, quoting an unnamed senior U.S. military official.

The official added: "There was a period ... where we were probably seeing less than half a dozen foreign fighters being pushed through the network."

More recently, he said, the estimate has risen to 20 a month, and various intelligence sources have noted an increased "demand call" in Iraq for foreign fighters.

We do think that the knowledge of these networks exists at least within the Syrian intelligence communit

Senior U.S. military official

British citizens arrested

On Sunday, Syria said that two British nationals, Maryam Kallis and Yasser Zahur, arrested in Damascus on March 17 were suspected of being part of a terrorist organization related to al-Qaeda.

"Interrogations indicated that both Ms. Kallis and Mr. Ahmed are working for a terrorist network related to al-Qaeda organization and the members of the network were also arrested by the Syrian authorities," the Syrian embassy in London said in a statement.

"Ms. Kallis is involved in receiving funds from her husband Mr. Massoud Ahmad (who resides in the U.K.) and in conveying the funds to the above-mentioned network. The investigation with the members of the network is still going on."

Interrogations indicated that both Ms. Kallis and Mr. Ahmed are working for a terrorist network related to al-Qaeda organization and the members of the network were also arrested by the Syrian authorities

Syrian embassy statement