U.S. says raid in Syria hit top Qaeda smuggler

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military raid inside Syria on Sunday is believed to have killed a major smuggler of foreign fighters into Iraq, a U.S. official said on Monday.

The official said the death of Abu Ghadiya, a former lieutenant to Iraqi insurgent leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, would cripple the smuggling network.

"It was a successful operation," the U.S. official said. "He (Ghadiya) is believed to be dead."

"He had knowledge of many of the so-called 'rat lines' or smuggling routes," into Iraq.

"This undoubtedly will have a debilitating effect on this foreign fighter smuggling network."

(Reporting by Randall Mikkelsen; Editing by Kristin Roberts)