(Corrects name of analyst's organization in 12th paragraph of story which ran on Oct. 28.)

Oct. 29 (Bloomberg) -- Syria ordered the closure of the American school and cultural center in Damascus after it said a U.S. raid killed eight people near the border with Iraq.

The Syrian cabinet asked the education and culture ministers to take the necessary steps to close the U.S. institutions, the state's Syrian Arab News Agency said on its Web site. The cabinet also postponed the next session of the Syrian-Iraqi Committee, due to be held in Baghdad Nov. 12 and 13, SANA said.

The U.S. hasn't been formally notified of the Syrian decision to close the school and cultural center, State Department spokesman Robert Wood told reporters in Washington today. He said he couldn't comment on news reports of the decision or on the military operation.

Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem condemned the cross-border raid on a village during a visit to London yesterday, calling it ``a criminal and terrorist aggression.'' He said Syria would act in self-defense if the U.S. staged such an attack again.

The operation in Syria targeted al-Qaeda-linked fighters smuggling militants and money into Iraq, killing Abu Ghadiya, Agence France-Presse said, citing an unidentified U.S. official. Abu Ghadiya was a lieutenant of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the al- Qaeda in Iraq leader killed in 2006, the official said.

The raid was a warning to the government in Damascus that the U.S. would continue to take action against inside Syria to eliminate threats, the Washington Post reported, citing a senior U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The U.S. took a similar line with Pakistan, where American forces carried out missile strikes the military said were aimed Taliban insurgents operating in neighboring Afghanistan, the official told the Post.

Secure Borders

The U.S. has long urged Syria to secure its borders to prevent foreign fighters from entering Iraq, Wood said today. Steps should include better screening of passengers arriving at the Damascus airport, improved border patrols and denying shelter to militants, he said.

``The Syrians know what they need to do,'' Wood said. ``We want to see those things happen.''

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said last month that the government in Damascus had slowed the flow of militants into Iraq, though relations between Syria and the U.S. still had ``a long way to go.''

Al-Moallem said four helicopters flew to a farm near Abul Kalal, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) inside Syria at about 5 p.m. local time on Oct. 26. Two of them landed and U.S. soldiers opened fire, killing unarmed civilians including three children and a fisherman, he said.

Call for Inquiry

The Syrian minister called for a U.S. inquiry into the deaths and asked for proof that al-Qaeda militants were in the area.

Christopher Pang, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based research organization, said the raid may be a sign that the U.S. is rethinking its approach to dealing with al-Qaeda operatives who seek refuge across borders.

The Syrian government doesn't have a ``broad toolbox to draw from in terms of its response to the U.S.'' and is unlikely to choose military confrontation, Pang said.

``In terms of the options available, Syria has an interest to do something to prevent further U.S. strikes,'' Pang said. ``In the past year it saw the benefits of engaging with its neighbors and the international community.''

Iraqi Condemnation

Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh today denounced the helicopter raid, while urging Syria to do more to stem insurgent activity.

``The Iraqi government rejects the U.S. aircraft bombardment on Syria territory, considering that Iraq's constitution doesn't allow its land to be used as a base for launching attacks on neighboring countries,'' al-Dabbagh said in an e-mailed statement.

Iraq ``reiterates its demand to halt all activities of organizations that are using Syria as a staging ground to arm and train terrorists who are targeting Iraq,'' he said. SANA cited the Syrian cabinet as saying that al-Dabbagh's comments amounted to ``unacceptable and irresponsible justification for this heinous aggression.''

Spokesmen for the U.S. military in Iraq and the White House declined to comment yesterday on the report.

To contact the reporters on this story: Caroline Alexander in London at calexander1@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: October 29, 2008 07:41 EDT