Syrians: Reputed Training Camp Was Abandoned

[Judi Lynn]

Syrians: Reputed Training Camp Was Abandoned



By BASSEM MROUE
Published on 10/7/2003

Al-Dreij, Syria — Villagers swept up shattered glass and rubble from their homes Monday near a building ravaged in an Israeli bombing raid on a reputed militant training camp. Residents told The Associated Press the camp was abandoned years ago.

A resident of Al-Driej, a village a few hundred yards from the targeted building, said on condition of anonymity that he inspected the Ein Saheb camp after the attack and found parts of Russian-made automatic rifles. The man said he gave the pieces to police.

Nestled in a ravine of olive and fig trees, the heavily damaged camp — including several one-room buildings made of concrete, a water tank and a swimming pool — could be seen from this village, though it was officially off-limits. Al-Dreij is about 15 miles northwest of the Syrian capital of Damascus.

On Sunday, Israeli warplanes bombed what the military said was an Islamic Jihad training base in retaliation for the group's weekend suicide bombing in Israel that killed 19 people. Islamic Jihad has said it had no bases in Syria, and Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa said Israel hit a civilian target. (snip/...)

http://www.theday.com/eng/web/newstand/re.aspx?reIDx=1785fe98-406e-43d1-839a-27f4ca6c304d

[fshrink]

1. The whole ME,

thanks to Sharonites and the US, has become a training camp. Which, by some twisted logic, now justifies the bombing of nearly anything anywhere in the area.