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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Baghdad condemns 'US Syria raid' | Baghdad condemns 'US Syria raid' |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Iraq has denounced a raid into Syria at the weekend, saying it does not want its territory to be used as a launch-point for US attacks on its neighbours. | Iraq has denounced a raid into Syria at the weekend, saying it does not want its territory to be used as a launch-point for US attacks on its neighbours. |
| Syria has also condemned the attack, which it said killed eight civilians, as an act of "terrorist aggression". | Syria has also condemned the attack, which it said killed eight civilians, as an act of "terrorist aggression". |
| Unnamed US officials have said the operation killed a key figure involved in the smuggling of fighters into Iraq. | |
| Meanwhile, Iraq's cabinet authorised PM Nouri al-Maliki to put forward proposed changes to a security pact with the US. | Meanwhile, Iraq's cabinet authorised PM Nouri al-Maliki to put forward proposed changes to a security pact with the US. |
| A government spokesman said the suggested amendments, agreed at a cabinet meeting, addressed both the wording and the content of the Status of Forces Agreement. | A government spokesman said the suggested amendments, agreed at a cabinet meeting, addressed both the wording and the content of the Status of Forces Agreement. |
| The deal, known as SOFA, will govern US troop presence in Iraq when a UN mandate expires at the end of 2008. | The deal, known as SOFA, will govern US troop presence in Iraq when a UN mandate expires at the end of 2008. |
| The US and Iraqi governments had previously said the pact, which would authorise the presence of US troops in Iraq until 2011, was final and could not be amended - only accepted or rejected by the Iraqi parliament. | The US and Iraqi governments had previously said the pact, which would authorise the presence of US troops in Iraq until 2011, was final and could not be amended - only accepted or rejected by the Iraqi parliament. |
| No denial | No denial |
| Speaking after the cabinet meeting, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh explicitly criticised the US over the reported helicopter strike. | Speaking after the cabinet meeting, government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh explicitly criticised the US over the reported helicopter strike. |
| "The Iraqi government rejects the US helicopter strike on Syrian territory, considering that Iraq's constitution does not allow its land to be a base for launching attacks on neighbouring countries," he said. | "The Iraqi government rejects the US helicopter strike on Syrian territory, considering that Iraq's constitution does not allow its land to be a base for launching attacks on neighbouring countries," he said. |
| "We call upon American forces not to repeat such activities and Baghdad has launched an investigation into the strike." | "We call upon American forces not to repeat such activities and Baghdad has launched an investigation into the strike." |
| But he urged Damascus to prevent groups using Syrian territory for "training and sending terrorists for attacks on Iraq and its people". | But he urged Damascus to prevent groups using Syrian territory for "training and sending terrorists for attacks on Iraq and its people". |
| The White House has neither confirmed nor denied Sunday's incident near Abu Kamal, some eight kilometres (five miles) north of Iraq's border with Syria. | The White House has neither confirmed nor denied Sunday's incident near Abu Kamal, some eight kilometres (five miles) north of Iraq's border with Syria. |
| If confirmed, it would be the first US attack in Syria since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. | If confirmed, it would be the first US attack in Syria since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. |