Syrian officials are vociferously rejecting Iraqi claims that Syria has a hand in Iraq’s worsening security situation.
Iraqi Defense Minister Sa’doun A-Duleimi said on Tuesday that most of the car bombs that exploded in Iraq were brought in from Syria. He warned Damascus that “Iraq’s exploding volcano ashes” will harm Syria.
A-Duleimi said in an announcement after meeting with the Iraqi President Jalal Talabani that “we have evidence and findings indicating that terrorists infiltrated through three crossways [on the Iraqi-Syrian border] aiming to target Baghdad as a final destination.”
According to the London-based A-Sharq Al-Awsat the minister said Syria is ignoring Iraq’s requests to stop terrorists from entering the country.
A Syrian official said he sees in these remarks an attempt “to hide Iraq’s incapability to take responsibility for its internal security and to [secure] borders with the neighboring countries,” according to the official Syrian news agency SANA.
He said that putting the blame on others will only increase tension at a time when what is required is cooperation in order to face terrorism and radicalism.