Syria Closed Border With Iraq, U.S. Says

The State Department said Thursday that Syria, responding to U.S. pressure, has closed the frontier with Iraq to all traffic in both directions so Iraqis attempting to escape would be turned away.

“We now understand that Syria has closed its borders to all but humanitarian traffic. That’s what they’ve told us, and we certainly hope that proves to be true,” State Department spokesman Richard A. Boucher said.

But he cautioned that the United States is continuing to monitor the border “quite closely.”

“We’ve made clear repeatedly to the government of Syria our concern that they not allow entry into Syria of any senior Iraqi regime officials -- that is, the people involved in the barbarity and the viciousness of Saddam Hussein’s regime -- and that they not allow any transit of materials for that regime to the dying elements of the regime, or that they not allow any forces to move back and forth or material for the Iraqi forces to move back and forth,” Boucher said.

Syria had earlier closed the border from Syria into Iraq for both Arab fighters and military equipment bound for Baghdad, State Department officials said.