Sept. 12 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Embassy in Damascus was attacked today by four terrorists described by the Syrian government as Islamic extremists who detonated a car bomb before being shot dead by local security forces.

Syrian personnel took control of the area in central Damascus following the attack, which killed one Syrian security officer.

Americans ``are safe and secure and accounted for, and that's very good news,'' U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said at a news conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

While the Syrian efforts to repel the attackers drew praise from Rice, the incident also highlighted friction between the countries. The Syrian Embassy in Washington later issued a statement blaming U.S. policy toward Iraq, Lebanon and the Palestinians for fomenting ``extremism, terrorism and anti-U.S. sentiment.''

``The U.S. should take this opportunity to review its policies in the Middle East and start looking at the root causes of terrorism and broker a comprehensive peace in the Middle East,'' the embassy said.

Witnesses said the terrorists detonated one car bomb, while a second vehicle containing explosives was disarmed by security forces. Television pictures showed a small white van with what appeared to be explosives and gas cylinders in the back.

SANA, the Syrian government news agency, said a Syrian guard at the embassy was killed in a clash with ``the terrorist group Takfiri.'' The dead man was 22 years old, a Syrian government official said in a telephone interview.

Strict Tenets

Takfiri belong to an Islamic movement that says Muslims who don't adhere to strict tenets are not authentic Muslims and can be killed. The specific group that attacked the embassy is called Jund al-Sham, or Soldiers of Syria, said the government official, who asked not to be identified by name.

Syrian officials have implicated Jund al-Sham in several attacks on civilian installations, including on the Syrian government television station in June, according to SANA. Police killed four members of the group as they tried to occupy buildings near the station at Ummayad Square.

In March, Syrian soldiers raided a Jund hideout northwest of Damascus and killed a commander, identified by SANA as Mohammed Ali Nasif.

In today's attack, 11 Syrians were wounded along with two Iraqi bystanders and a Chinese man who was standing on the roof of his home nearby, SANA reported.

Rice's Gratitude

Rice thanked the Syrian government for its response to the attack and expressed condolences for the slain security agent. ``The Syrians reacted to this attack in a way that helped to secure our people, and we very much appreciate that,'' she said during the appearance with Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay.

The U.S. recalled its ambassador from Syria in February 2005 after Syrian officials were implicated in the killing of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri. Syria, along with Iran, is a sponsor of the radical Lebanon-based Shiite militia, Hezbollah, which ended a 33-day conflict with Israel on Aug. 14.

Today's attack came in the embassy district, where the U.S. and several other foreign missions are located. Peter Ford, the U.K. ambassador to Syria, said in a telephone interview with Cable News Network that the attack appeared to be the work of a small group and the tactics didn't seem to resemble those of al- Qaeda.

Rice said in Halifax that it was too early to say who carried out the attack or why.

`Awful Terrorism'

``We are a settled country and we don't need this kind of awful terrorism,'' Nizar al-Mayub, a director of Syria's information ministry, said in an interview with al-Jazeera, the Doha, Qatar-based Arabic news channel.

There was a firefight lasting about 30 minutes with explosions, and smoke rose from near the U.S. Embassy, Colonel Julian Lyne-Pirkis, defense attache in the British Embassy in Damascus, said in a telephone interview.

``We heard explosions and gunfire and there was a big plume of smoke,'' he said. The British Embassy is about 400 meters (365 yards) away.

Kareem Abdul Rahman, a baker, said he initially heard shots. ``First I thought it was firecrackers,'' he said by telephone. ``Then there was an explosion.

Abdul Rahman said that sirens sounded and he saw two ambulances heading for the area. Gunfire broke out at about 9:30 a.m., he said.

Suspected Assailant

Syrian Interior Minister Bassam Abdel Majid said one suspected assailant had been captured. He said the vehicles used in the attack were stolen. ``In a nutshell, the terrorists did not succeed in their objective,'' he said on Syrian television.

Damascus is a tightly controlled capital with a heavy police presence. In April 2004, a United Nations office was bombed under circumstances that were never explained. This year, demonstrators protested the publication of cartoons that depicted Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, by a Danish newspaper.

The U.S. operates a large and heavily guarded compound in the city. Charge d'Affaires Michael Corbin is the top officer at the mission, according to the embassy's Web site.

``It's not surprising that this attack occurred in Syria, when you know the deep anti-Americanism of Syrian society,'' Mathieu Guidere, head of research and an expert on terrorism at France's Saint-Cyr military academy.

``One can even have doubts about the authors of these attacks,'' Guidere said in an interview. ``It's quite possible, given Syrian practices in Lebanon, especially the use of car bombs, that this was a setup by the Syrian secret services to send the Americans a strong signal -- we can do things against you but we can also stop them.''

Syria, Guidere said, ``supports Hezbollah; this attack today is a probably a response to attacks in Lebanon, to the Lebanon war.''

To contact the reporter on this story: Brian Lysaght in London at blysaght@bloomberg.net Daniel Williams in Cairo at dwilliams41@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: September 12, 2006 14:52 EDT