(Click To Enlarge)Map from The Long War Journal
From The Long War Journal:
The US military incursion into Syria was aimed at the senior leader of al Qaeda's extensive network that funnels foreign fighters, weapons, and cash from Syria into Iraq, a senior intelligence official told The Long War Journal.
US special operations hunter-killer teams entered Syria in an attempt to capture Abu Ghadiya, a senior al Qaeda leader who has been in charge of the Syrian network since 2005. US intelligence analysts identified Ghadiya as the leader of the Syrian network, The Washington Post reported in July. Ghadiya was identified as a “major target” by the US military in February 2008.
The raid to capture Ghadiya occurred in the town of Sukkariya near Abu Kamal in eastern Syria, just five miles from the Iraqi border. Four US helicopters crossed the border and two of the helicopters landed to drop off special operations forces, who then proceeded to clear structures.
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My Comment: After 5 years of combat, this is the first known U.S. strike into Syria from Iraq. This signifies a few things (1) The U.S. and Iraq feel confident that they can now protect their sovereignty against countries like Syria. (2) Syrian weakness (3) The U.S.-Iraq coalition are targeting the last facilitators for Al Qaeda.