ABU KAMAL, Nov 7: Across the frontier in Iraq, US soldiers eye the Syrian checkpoint with suspicion, checking for danger on a border Washington says has let through too many militants.

With crucial elections in Iraq less than three months away, the United States and Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi's interim government say they want to seal borders to stop militants crossing to carry out more suicide bombings.

But frontier guards in Syria, which said on Sunday it had reached a border cooperation deal with Iraq, seem just as suspicious of the American troops facing them.

One guard warned photographers to keep well out of US soldiers' line of fire after bringing journalists to Abu Kamal, about 600 km northwest of Damascus, to see proof of tightened security on the frontier.

"Stay back, stay back, they are crazy, they will think you are trying to fire at them and shoot you," the officer said as cameramen aimed their lenses at the American flag just 50m away.

The American military closed one of the border posts from the Iraqi side on Thursday, according to Syrian officials, without giving a reason or a time frame for it to reopen.

"Americans closed the border three days ago from their side, it is still open from our side though," said Col Ali Shummari, in charge of the Abu Kamal checkpoint.

"Four troops came close to our side and threw leaflets saying the border is closed."

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara announced the new border deal between Damascus and Baghdad, saying during a visit to Egypt that it would soon be signed and put into force.

SYRIAN BULLDOZERS: Washington said in September Syria was prepared to work with US-led forces to stop militants, money and arms from crossing the 650-km border in the runup to Iraq's Jan 27 elections.-Reuters