The New York Times is reporting U.S. troops have been clashing with Syrian counterparts on the border with Iraq over the last year. Officials told the Times U.S. operations claimed to thwart the alleged flow of insurgents into Iraq have spilled over inside Syria’s borders. These officials added the military is considering plans to conduct special intelligence operations inside Syria. A firefight this summer led to the deaths of several Syrian soldiers. U.S. officials accuse Syria of harboring insurgent training camps inside its borders, a charge denied by the Syrian government. A recent study by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found the percentage of foreign fighters among Iraqi insurgents is “well below 10 percent, and may well be closer to 4 percent to 6 percent.”