US says Syrian intelligence aids insurgents

"ISN SECURITY WATCH (24/01/06) - Iraqi insurgents are being trained in the use of shoulder-fired, anti-aircraft missiles by Syrians, according to US intelligence sources.

A group operating just south of Baghdad is said to have close ties with Syrian intelligence and to have received training from them in the use of Russian-made SA-7 surface-to-air missiles, Defensenews reports, citing unnamed military intelligence officials.

The group allegedly being trained by the Syrians is named after its leader, Abu Ayman, a former Iraqi intelligence officer who is being sought by US forces in the Baghdad area.

The Abu Ayman group is mostly comprised of former members of Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard and ex-Iraqi intelligence operatives.

Allegations of Syrian involvement in the insurgency are not new, however, interest in a possible Syrian role in Iraq was sparked anew following last week’s attack on a US helicopter, which was shot down by what the US military said was an SA-7 missile."
ISN Security Watch