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Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 7

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The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom Tuesday, October 28, 2008 - 7

US official: Raid
on Syria killed
leader of cell

Regent hopefuls
state their cases in
debate before faculty

Al Qaida head
smuggled weapons,
fighters into Iraq
SUKKARIYEH, Syria (AP)
- A cross-border raid by U.S.
special forces killed the al-Qaida-
linked head of a Syrian network
that smuggled fighters, weapons
and cash into Iraq, an American
counterterrorism official said
yesterday.
Blood stained the earth in this
border village as anguished Syr-
ians buried relatives they said
were killed in the U.S. helicopter
attack Sunday.
Some shouted anti-American
slogans and carried banners
reading "Down with Bush and
the American enemy."
The operation targeted the
home of Abu Ghadiyah, the
nickname for the leader of a
key cell of foreign fighters in
Iraq, the U.S. official told The
Associated Press from Wash-
ington.
He spoke on condition of ano-
nymity because of the sensitive
intelligence.
The U.S. Treasury Department
has named Abu Ghadiyah as one
of four major figures in al-Qaida's
Iraq wing who were living in
Syria.
U.S. authorities have said Abu
Ghadiyah's real name is Badran
Turki al-Mazidih, an Iraqi in his
early 30s who served as al-Qai-
da in Iraq's head of logistics in
Syria since 2004. His job includ-
ed providing foreign fighters
with passports, weapons, guides
and safe houses as they slipped
into Iraq and made their way to
Baghdad and other major cities
where the Sunni insurgency was
raging.
Sunday's operation in Suk-
kariyeh, about five miles from the
Iraqi border, came just days after
the commander of U.S. forces in
western Iraq called the Syrian
border an "uncontrolled" gate-
way for fighters into Iraq and said
efforts were being stepped up to

secure it.
The raid, was another sign the
United States is aggressively
launching military raids across
the borders.of Afghanistan and
Iraq to destroy insurgent sanc-
tuaries. In Pakistan, U.S. missile
strikes have killed at least two
senior al-Qaida operatives this
year.
The Syrian government said
Sunday's attack by four U.S.
military helicopters targeted
a civilian building under con-
struction in Sukkariyeh short-
ly before sundown, and killed
eight people, including four
children.
However, local officials said
seven men were killed and two
people were wounded, including
a woman. An AP reporter saw the
bodies of seven men at the funer-
als Monday.
Amateurvideotakenbyavillag-
er on a cell phone Sunday showed.
four helicopters flying overhead
as villagers pointed to the skies in
alarm. The grainy images, viewed
Monday by the AP, did not show
the helicopters landing.
Another villager told the AP
he saw at least two men taken
into custody by U.S. forces, and
whisked away by helicopter. He
spoke on condition of anonym-
ity because he feared for his
life.
At the targeted building, the
floor was bloodstained Monday,
with abandoned tennis shoes
scattered amid pieces of human
flesh. A tent pitched near the site
had bags of bread, pots and pans
and wool blankets.
There was no visible security
presence and visitors could move
freely, a sign the normally tightly
restrictive government wanted
the damage seen.
About 30 women dressed in
black wept in a small courtyard
outside the home of Dawoud al-
Hamad, who was killed in the
bombing along with his four sons.
"They were innocent laborers
who worked from dusk to dawn,"
said the man's wife, Rima.
She said work at the con-

HUSSEIN MALLA/AP PHOTO
Syrian villagers hold banners that read:"Down with American enemy,"as they
carry the coffins of relativs who died a day hefore when U.S. military helicopters
laonched an attach on Syrian territory, during a foneral procession in the Sokkari-
yeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal in an area of farms and brick factories about
five miles (eight kilometers) inside the Syrian border yesterday.

struction site started last
week.
Asked about U.S. reports that
an al-Qaida-linked group used
the site, Siham, the widow of
one of the man's sons, Ibrahim,
said: "I don't know about any of
that."
"All I know is that they went to
work and never came back," said
the mother of seven.
Syria's Foreign Minister Walid
al-Moallem denounced the raid as
"cowboy politics."
"I hope it doesn't come to a con-
frontation, but if that's what they
want, then we'll be ready," he told
reporters in London.
Iran condemned the attack as
did Russia, which has had close
ties with Syria since Soviet times.
Iraqi officials said they had no
advance warning of the raid, and
the government responded care-
fully to the aftermath, seeking to
contain diplomatic damage with
Syria while not offending the U.S.
Chief spokesman Ali al-Dab-
bagh said Iraq was seeking good
relations with Syria but added
that Baghdad had asked the Syr-
ians in the past to "hand over ter-
ror groups operating on Syrian
territory."
He also noted the attack

occurred in an area where "anti-
Iraq terror activity" had taken
place.
"We cannotjudgethis operation
at the moment," he said. "We must
wait for our investigation to finish.
We are in touch with the American
side and we expect them to hand
us a report on the raid."
U.S. and Iraqi officials have
long been concerned about
infiltration across the Syrian
border.
American special , opera-
tions troops have been working
for months to shut down Sunni
extremist networks that smuggle
weapons and fighters through
Iraq's northern desert to Mosul,
where al-Qaida and other Sunni
militants remain active.
But the timing of the raid raised
concerns it could hurt an uncer-
tain U.S.-Iraq security agreement.
Parliament must approve the
measure before the U.N. mandate
expires Dec. 31, but Iraqi Shiite
lawmakers have expressed doubts
the current version would pass.
"Now neighboring countries
have a good reason to be con-
cerned about the continued
U.S. presence in Iraq," Kurdish
lawmaker Mahmoud Othman
said.
Speaking on public education,
Schauer said reauthorization of
the No Child Left Behind Act was
vital, provided it receives more
funding.
"My dream, someday, is that
we truly do make education the
top priority and we back it with
the resources we need," he said.
"We've got to put resources into
helping kids graduate."
A Rasmussen poll from Oct. 8
shows Levin leading Hoogendyk,
61 percent to 36. Schauer said he
expects his race to be closer than
Levin's.

CANDIDATES
From Page_1
Deitch, a corporate lawyer at the
firm Bodman LLP in Detroit, said
keeping student costs low while
juggling the University's increas-
ingly limited resources would be
the most challenging aspect of his
job if elected to a third term.
He said the key is to figure out
how to grow the University's exist-
ing resources, like its $7.6 billion
endowment,. and also keep the
University's programs accessible,
to qualified students from modest
backgrounds.
"The old saying that came from
the 19th century was that (the Uni-
versity of) Michigan provides an
uncommon education for the com-
mon man," he said. "I believe in
that as a principle."
Susan Brown, a former member
of the Board of Trustees at private
Kalamazoo College, expressed sup-
port for University President Mary
Sue Coleman's aggressive fundrais-
ing campaigns.
If elected as a Regent, Brown
said she too would use fundrais-
ing campaigns to limit increases in
University costs for students.
Libertarian Eric Larson, a phy-
sician in Grand Rapids, said the
University should save money by
outsourcing some jobs not related
to academics.
He suggested hiring private
companies to handle the Universi-
ty's groundskeeping and janitorial
services. He also said the Univer-
sity should consider implement-
ing more online courses to save
money.
"I think the University of Michi-
gan has an opportunity to consider
providing online University classes
developed by the faculty and taught
by the faculty," Larson said. "It's a
low cost way of providing educa-
tional opportunities for people who
are unable to attend the University
of Michigan."
Later in the forum, a faculty
member's question for the candi-
dates asked them how they would
approach the issue of diversity at
the University and whether they
would support outreach efforts to
ensure that students from under-
represented backgrounds attend
the University.
Boal, who inthe1970s as an activ-
ist fought for affirmative action at
the University, was unequivocal in
his support for student diversity
programs.
"I don't think there's any ques-
tion whether I would continue
those policies today," Boal said.
Ilitch said she supported the
outreach programs the University
has implemented since the pas-
sage of Proposal 2 in 2006 which
banned race-based affirmative
action.
She said she would back any new
initiatives or programs that would
create a more diverse student popu-
lation on campus.
Deitch, who said one of his
proudest days was watching the

University's affirmative action case
argued before the U.S. Supreme
Court, said he too would also con-
tinue the University's existing out-
reach efforts to bring students from
underrepresented backgrounds to
campus.
"We've broadened the definition
of underrepresented groups to have
a socioeconomic basis to it, and I
agree with that," he added.
Larson, disagreed with Ilitch
and Deitch, arguing that diver-
sity was more than a person's
race, ethnicity, gender or sexual
orientation. He said diversity
has more to do with a diversity
of ideas.
"I think, as a Libertarian cer-
tainly, the most important thing
is to focus on diversity of opinions
and views and your talents," he
said. "I think it's very important
that we again focus on the inher-
ent qualities of people - that's
what makes a difference in incom-
ing students."
The last topic addressed by
the candidates centered on what
kind of control they believed the
University administration should
have over the Michigan Athletic
Department, which oversees the
school's athletics teams and oper-
ates on a budget separate from the
University.
In a few words, Boal' of the
Green Party said Michigan Stadi-
um should be sold and the football
team eliminated. Boal pointed to
the University of Chicago, which
cut its successful football program
in 1939 and now has only a Division
III football team.
"I think it's unbecoming and
undignified for so much attention
to be paid to athletics, particularly
in football and basketball," he said.
"The University of Chicago has no
football team, and Michigan should
do the same."
Boal's fellow candidates dis-
agreed.
Each said Michigan athletics are a
part of the University's tradition and
animportantaspectoftheUniversity.
Larson said the economic ben-
efits of the Athletic Department,
which gives money to the Universi-
ty's general scholarship fund every
year, are important to the Univer-
sity asawell.
"It doesn't make any economic
sense to eliminate athletics," he
added.
Deitch also expressed his sup-
port for the Athletic Department.
"I think successful, competitive
intercollegiate athletics are part of
Michigan's culture," he said. "It's
part ofthegestaltofthe place, and I
don't wantto see that change."
He added, however, that over-
sight over Michigan athletics was
crucial.
"I think control of intercolle-
giate athletics falls in the Office
of the President, with the support
of the Board of Regents and with
a significant input from faculty,"
Deitch said. "Because while it is
part of the gestalt, we've got to
make sure the tail doesn't over-
whelm the dog."


LEVIN
From Page 1
been a private. He believes in
privatizing things. He would have
been a private first class."
Levin, who spoke on campus
earlier this month, also stressed
the importance of Schaugr's cam-
paign, calling it one of the nation's
key House races in this election.
He and Schauer then answered
questions about topics including
the economy, education and the
war in Iraq for about 40 minutes.
Asked about what led to the
COLEMAN
From Page 1
our excellence in teaching and
research," she said.
She cited the President's Donor
Challenge, a campaign in which
the University matches every
donation amount made by an out-
side donor. Much of the money
goes to fund new endowed fellow-
ships for graduate and profession-
al students.
Coleman said 350 new fellow-
ships have been created in the past
year with funding from the cam-
paign.
Coleman also updated the audi-
ence on her $30 million plan to
hire 100 new tenure-track faculty
members specializing in interdis-
ciplinary study. Since announcing
the plan a year ago, the University
has received nearly 40 proposals
for the new positions, she said.
FRATERNITY
From Page 1
alumni board is currently rebuild-
ing the home and hopes to move
the brothers back into the house
next fall.
The Ann Arbor Historical Com-
mission last week approved the
alumni board's plans to restore the
105-year-old house, the Univer-
sity's oldest existing Greek resi-
dence. -
The house will "look identical to
the way it looked before," Markie-

recent financial crisis and what
could be done to avoid a simi-
lar incident in the future, Levin
pointed to past deregulation
efforts.
"I can go backwards in time
and talk about all the, deregula-
tion, fanaticism of this adminis-
tration, including the Walbergs of
the group (who said) get govern-
ment of out of there," Levin said.
"That's the damn problem. We
got government off Wall Street's
back."
Levin also called for an end to
offshore tax havens, which allow

people to prevent their funds from
being taxed.
"$100 billion a year, we figure,
lost," he said. "This is revenue
Uncle Sam is supposed to get."
Schauer said he would focus
on healing Michigan's hamstrung
economyifelected. The stateholds
the nation's highest unemploy-
ment rate, at almost 9 percent.
"I want to pledge to you that I
will always be focused on what
we need to do to help turn around
Michigan's economy and move
Michigan forward," he said. "I'm
going to be singularly focused."


She said the University's Office
of the Provost has awarded fund-
ing for 25 positions, and Coleman
said she expected the new faculty
members to come to campus the
upcoming fall.
The interdisciplinary hiring
program will continue for another
four years, and the Provost's Office
is currently accepting proposals
for the next round of funding.
Coleman also urged those in
attendance to pursue opportuni-
ties for interdisciplinary work -
even if it's not through a proposal
with the new program.
"Interdisciplinary work is what
sets us apart," she said.
After concluding her speech,
Coleman took questions from fac-
ulty in the audience.
M. Robert Fraser, assistant
director at the Mardigian Library
on the University's Dearborn
campus, asked Coleman about
how she could improve what he
wicz said.
As a result of the fire, the frater-
nity had to find alternative sites for
many of their fall rush activities.
LSA junior Christian Stoffan,
Delta Upsilon's vice president of
recruitment, said the lack of house
initially put the fraternity in a
tough spot, but eventually became
a positive situation.
"We still had great rush events,
it's just a little different not having
a large house," said Stoffan, adding
that the fraternity held activities in
places like Nichols Arboretum and
at the Alpha Delta Gamma sorority

described as a fractious relation-
ships between the University's
Ann Arbor, Dearborn and Flint
campus.
In response, Coleman cited
projects like the Flint campus's
new residence hall as evidence of
the administration's investment in
the Dearborn and Flint campuses.
Nonetheless, she called for more
cooperation between all three
campuses in the future.
"We need to keep finding ways
to make sure that we're doing
things with a synergistic relation-
ship," she said. "The vitality of (the
Dearborn and Flint) campuses is
absolutely essential."
Coleman also fielded questions
about the University's interna-
tional partnerships with univer-
sities in African countries and in
China, elaborating on her plans to
expand the University's interna-
tional presence.
She touted the University's
house. "We got to know the pledges
a lot better than we would have if it
was a bigger situation."
Stoffan said the smaller events
attracted pledges that considered
brotherhood more of a priority
than the actual house.
"Theyweren't looking for the big
frat house," he said. "They really
got a chance to meet us as individu-
als."
Markiewicz said the alumni
board is also in talks with Delta
Upsilon's insurance company,'
which will pay for the renovations.
"We want to make sure that we

engineering partnership with
Shanghai Jiao Tong University,
which sends University students
to China while bringing Chinese
students to Ann Arbor.
And during her trip to Africa
in February, Coleman also helped
establish a fellowship program for
faculty members to work at uni-
versities in Ghana and South Afri-
ca, which she mentioned a during
the question-and-answer period
of the meeting.
She also said the University had
in the past week received $3 mil-
lion in funding from the Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation to help
with administrative development
for a new health system in Ghana.
"A lot of good things have hap-
pened," Coleman said. "And the
faculty have been absolutely stun-
ning in really jumping on these
projects and making sure they fol-
low it up, and it's just one of the
best experiences I've ever had."
can get the funding to do what
the historical commission would
like to do and what the board of
directors would like see as well,"
he said.
Markiewicz, who declined to
discuss the cost of the project,
said the board wants to retain the
house's historical character by
fully restoring the first floor and
the outside.
He said the plan is to have the
house completed by next fall, but
the alumni board is looking into
housing for next year in case the
house isn't done until the winter.

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