I’m getting emails about this but I’m not sure why. I mean, I understand why this is news, but I don’t see how this figures into the conspiracy theories I’m hearing. This is all a ploy by the Bush Administration to help a floundering McCain by thrusting national security to the forefront? By providing Democrats with a line of attack from which they can slam Republicans as warmongers and distractors from the economy? I’m skeptical.

Anyway, no direct confirmation of the strikes yet, but it seems very plausible. The site of the alleged attack was near the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which jihadies have used as an entrance into Iraq for years. As MSNBC notes:

The Syrian report comes just days after the commander of U.S. forces in western Iraq told reporters that American troops were redoubling efforts to secure the Syrian border, which he said was an ‘uncontrolled’ gateway for fighters entering Iraq.

Bill Roggio adds:

The raid occurred close to the main border crossing point between Iraq and Syria. Al Qaeda declared an Islamic Emirate in Al Qaim right along the Iraqi border during the spring of 2005. Al Qaeda terrorized the local tribes and attempted to institute a Taliban-like rule. Al Qaim was the main infiltration route into Iraq until US Marines and Iraqi troops launched a campaign to dislodge al Qaeda from the region.

The US has neither confirmed nor denied the operation took place. If the attack occurred, it would have been carried out by Task Force 88, the special operations hunt-killer teams assigned to target al Qaeda operatives as well as Shia terrorists in Iraq…

The US military may be closing in on al Qaeda’s senior leadership. US forces killed Abu Qaswarah, al Qaeda in Iraq’s second in command, during a raid in Mosul in northern Iraq on Oct. 15. The military has also killed and captured numerous al Qaeda leader and couriers over the past several weeks. The information obtained during these raids help to paint a picture of al Qaeda’s command structure inside of of Iraq as well as in neighboring countries.

I’ll update if we receive direct confirmation.