US troops shot Syrian guards in attack on Iraqi convoy

US TROOPS shot Syrian border guards when they launched an attack on a fleeing Iraqi convoy they believed may have contained senior members of Saddam Hussein’s regime, it was revealed yesterday.

Working partly on information from captured Iraqi leaders, special operations troops attacked the convoy near the border last week to stop what they believed were fugitives linked to Saddam's regime, three defence officials said.

It was unclear who shot first, but American forces engaged in a gunfight with Syrian border guards and several guards were hit, one senior Pentagon official said.