DAMASCUS, Syria (AP): U.S. military helicopters attacked an area along Syria's border with Iraq Sunday, killing eight people, the Syrian government said.

A government statement carried by the official Syrian Arab News Agency said the attack was on the Sukkariyeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal, five miles inside the Syrian border. Four helicopters attacked a civilian building under construction, firing on the workers inside, shortly before sundown, the statement said.

The U.S. military in Baghdad did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The area is near the Iraqi border city of Qaim, which had been a major crossing point for fighters, weapons and money coming into Iraq to fuel the Sunni insurgency.