DAMASCUS, Feb. 24 (Xinhuanet) -- Syria on Thursday slammed claims that the country helped train militants to destabilize Iraq as "baseless and inaccurate".

    "What has been reported by some Iraqi detainees is baseless and inaccurate and Syria is keen on Iraq's stability and security and does not interfere in its internal affairs," a Syrian security source was quoted by the official SANA news agency as saying.

    Al Iraqiya, a US-funded Iraqi television, on Wednesday aired a 15-minute-long confession by a detained man, who, identifying himself as a Syrian intelligence officer, claimed his group was recruited to "cause chaos in Iraq and to bar America from reaching Syria."

    The channel later aired another round of interviews with several Sudanese and Egyptians who claimed receiving training in Syria to carry out attacks in Iraq.

    Iraqi special forces commander Brig. Gen. Abu Al-Walid said his forces arrested these men in the northern city of Mosul on Jan. 29,one day before the country's parliamentary elections.

    He said the detainees included eight Syrians, one Lebanese, 12 Egyptians and 10 Sudanese, who were found with explosives, weapons and maps for balloting centers in Mosul. Enditem