So another "chemical" attack in Syria?

[Axulus]

And the Russian lies are exposed again:

Senior officials said that U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

The officials said that nothing from an array of intelligence and publicly available material provided any credence to the alternative account put forward by Syria and Russia, which claimed that routine bombing inadvertently struck an opposition chemical weapons depot.

“We are very confident that terrorists or non*state actors did not commit this attack,” said one senior official who, like others, spoke to reporters on the condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence findings.

Officials said the U.S. government had not yet reached a consensus on whether Russia, whose 2015 entry into the long Syrian conflict provided a lifeline for Assad, knew about the chemical attack ahead of time. But they suggested that it was unlikely that Russian troops, stationed at the air base singled out last week, would have been kept in the dark.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...b2a45e3dc84_story.html?utm_term=.fcc678a8572f

- - - Updated - - -

The Grim Logic Behind Syria's Chemical Attack:

Dr. Monzer Khalil, Idlib Province’s health director, said such extreme tactics aimed to demonstrate the government’s impunity and to demoralize its foes.

“It makes us feel that we are defeated,” said Dr. Khalil, whose gums bled after he was exposed to scores of chemical victims on Tuesday. “The international community will stay gazing at what’s happening — and observing the explosive barrels falling and rockets bombing the civilians and the hospitals and the civil defense and killing children and medical staff — without doing anything.”

“Militarily, there is no need,” said Bente Scheller, the Middle East director of the Berlin-based Heinrich Böll Foundation. “But it spreads the message: You are at our mercy. Don’t ask for international law. You see, it doesn’t protect even a child.”

On Thursday, Syria’s foreign minister challenged accounts by witnesses, experts and world leaders that his government was involved. “I stress to you once again: The Syrian Army has not, did not and will not use this kind of weapons — not just against our own people, but even against the terrorists that attack our civilians with their mortar rounds,” the minister, Walid al-Moallem, said in Damascus.

But the denial, as well as a Russian assertion that a bomb hit a chemical weapons depot controlled by the rebels, seemed perfunctory, almost without regard to the facts, which Western governments said pointed to a Syrian government hand.

Critics of President Barack Obama, including President Trump, say that his decision not to enforce his “red line” on chemical attacks in 2013 convinced the Assad government it could get away with anything, and that it has been escalating its harsh tactics against civilians ever since.

Since that “green light,” wrote Jihad Yazigi, an opposition-leaning Syrian economist, “Assad knows that a large-scale attack against its civilians is a short-term public relations liability but a long-term political asset.”

That was only reinforced, critics say, by recent statements by American officials that it was time to accept the “political reality” of Mr. Assad’s grip on power.

By showing it puts no limits on the tactics it uses, Mr. Yazigi wrote, “the regime shows to the world the West’s impotence and weakness.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/...bashar-al-assad-russia-sarin-attack.html?_r=0

 

[Elixir]

It was a simple asinine response to an incident where no one has established who perpetuated this attack.

Of course it was an asinine response - it was Trump flying solo. But denying the fact that planes from that airbase are known to have dropped Sarin gas on Syrian citizens, is just trollery.

U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

"The officials said that nothing from an array of intelligence and publicly available material provided any credence to the alternative account put forward by Syria and Russia, which claimed that routine bombing inadvertently struck an opposition chemical weapons depot."

In fact this whole war is a chain reaction caused by US foreign policy.

Or by Russian foreign policy, or by Elron Hubbard or his invented Xenu-god... your ramblings of causation are of no consequence.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

And the Russian lies are exposed again:



https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...b2a45e3dc84_story.html?utm_term=.fcc678a8572f

- - - Updated - - -

The Grim Logic Behind Syria's Chemical Attack:

Dr. Monzer Khalil, Idlib Province’s health director, said such extreme tactics aimed to demonstrate the government’s impunity and to demoralize its foes.

“It makes us feel that we are defeated,” said Dr. Khalil, whose gums bled after he was exposed to scores of chemical victims on Tuesday. “The international community will stay gazing at what’s happening — and observing the explosive barrels falling and rockets bombing the civilians and the hospitals and the civil defense and killing children and medical staff — without doing anything.”

“Militarily, there is no need,” said Bente Scheller, the Middle East director of the Berlin-based Heinrich Böll Foundation. “But it spreads the message: You are at our mercy. Don’t ask for international law. You see, it doesn’t protect even a child.”

On Thursday, Syria’s foreign minister challenged accounts by witnesses, experts and world leaders that his government was involved. “I stress to you once again: The Syrian Army has not, did not and will not use this kind of weapons — not just against our own people, but even against the terrorists that attack our civilians with their mortar rounds,” the minister, Walid al-Moallem, said in Damascus.

But the denial, as well as a Russian assertion that a bomb hit a chemical weapons depot controlled by the rebels, seemed perfunctory, almost without regard to the facts, which Western governments said pointed to a Syrian government hand.

Critics of President Barack Obama, including President Trump, say that his decision not to enforce his “red line” on chemical attacks in 2013 convinced the Assad government it could get away with anything, and that it has been escalating its harsh tactics against civilians ever since.

Since that “green light,” wrote Jihad Yazigi, an opposition-leaning Syrian economist, “Assad knows that a large-scale attack against its civilians is a short-term public relations liability but a long-term political asset.”

That was only reinforced, critics say, by recent statements by American officials that it was time to accept the “political reality” of Mr. Assad’s grip on power.

By showing it puts no limits on the tactics it uses, Mr. Yazigi wrote, “the regime shows to the world the West’s impotence and weakness.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/06/...bashar-al-assad-russia-sarin-attack.html?_r=0

"West’s impotence and weakness"? You want to see weakness. Look at Iraq between 2003 and 2007. That was impotence and weakness.

It wouldn't be better in Syria. We can't govern Syria, which is what would be required if Assad was punished in kind and removed from power. It can't be done... without hundreds of thousands of troops. Obama didn't look strong with Syria, but what was the alternative other than replacing Assad with 250,000 American troops?

People get gutted all the time in Africa, and we don't hear crap about that.

 

[whichphilosophy]

Of course it was an asinine response - it was Trump flying solo. But denying the fact that planes from that airbase are known to have dropped Sarin gas on Syrian citizens, is just trollery.

U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

"The officials said that nothing from an array of intelligence and publicly available material provided any credence to the alternative account put forward by Syria and Russia, which claimed that routine bombing inadvertently struck an opposition chemical weapons depot."

In fact this whole war is a chain reaction caused by US foreign policy.

Or by Russian foreign policy, or by Elron Hubbard or his invented Xenu-god... your ramblings of causation are of no consequence.

We agree on Asinine. However he curried favour even with Senator McCain who applauded this and perhaps put some lipstick on his dipstickari.

We know the victims were poisoned with Sarin. It's easy to diagnose. We don't know for sure how this happened as admitted from time to time by the US and others. That's why there should be an investigation.
America caused the war in the first place and hundreds of thousands of deaths. What we see today is a chain reaction stemming from this. Hubbard was dead when the US armed the rebels (half of which were Al Nusra and similar).

This war is another US cock up.

 

[laughing dog]

America caused the war in the first place and hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Where do you get this nonsense?

 

[ZiprHead]

First, he is not my hero. Second I realize that you truly believe that, but does it occur to you that you could be totally wrong about Putin?

 

[barbos]

And the Russian lies are exposed again:



https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...b2a45e3dc84_story.html?utm_term=.fcc678a8572f

WP said so therefore it's true.

 

[tupac chopra]

And the Russian lies are exposed again:

Senior officials said that U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...b2a45e3dc84_story.html?utm_term=.fcc678a8572f

The Washington Post quoting "senior officials" is not a reliable source

 

[barbos]

Senior officials said that U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/worl...b2a45e3dc84_story.html?utm_term=.fcc678a8572f

The Washington Post quoting "senior officials" is not a reliable source

Yes, but to give them credit they did try to answer a million dollar question - why would Assad do that?

 

[barbos]

I have another theory. I was looking at the list of the alleged chemical weapons use in this war and it looks like there have been quite few other cases reported which did not get much reactions from the world. I think both Assad and rebels have been using CW occasionally even after that 2013 attack and red line crossing. Russians knew that and more importantly americans knew that too, but as long as it was used carefully and resulted in mostly dead terrorists, they (US and russians) were willing to look the other way. This time it did not go according to plan. I think this explains seemingly unshaken support Assad still gets from Putin, who knows that it was a very unfortunate fuck-up and that americans know that too. But now, with that many dead children and no way to ignore it West wants Assad to be punished, Putin on the other hand stuck with Assad.

 

[J842P]

Regardless, what does this have to do with the Syrian President gassing his own citizens?

That you've got to be fucking nuts if you think the US is against Assad because he used chemical weapons. The US has been actively trying to undermine the Assad regime for decades, mostly as a part of the Cold War. The US right now is against Assad because there are deep currents of anti-Russian sentiment imbued into the State and polity after decades of propaganda.

The US has been in a very similar position as Russia, with our own pet dictator, Saddam Hussein, when he used chemical weapons en-masse on the battlefield, with the aid and approval of the US, during the Iran-Iraq War, probably the most significant military confrontation in the latter part of the 20th century. Hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed. Thousands of Iranians civilians were gassed.

 

[whichphilosophy]

America caused the war in the first place and hundreds of thousands of deaths.

Where do you get this nonsense?

Since US entered on its rampages of regime change (with its UK poodle in tow), it created a perfect vacuum for Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, ISIS and other fanatics of their ilk to fill the void.

So what we see here are the ripples of US meddling.

See Tulsi Gabbard (DEM) who introduced a bill to prevent people supporting terrorists aka freedom fighters
[YOUTUBE]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76GhC5d52d8[/YOUTUBE]

 

[J842P]

Where do you get this nonsense?

Since US entered on its rampages of regime change (with its UK poodle in tow), it created a perfect vacuum for Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, ISIS and other fanatics of their ilk to fill the void.

So what we see here are the ripples of US meddling.

Certainly, the US bears a portion of the blame. Not only for its more recent incursions, but almost it's entire Post-WW2 strategy in the region could be said to have contributed, albeit less directly.

Certainly, it shouldn't be forgotten that the US backed the rebels. Which has been fascinating for me, since my earliest political memories opinions probably formed in response to the Invasion of Afghanistan and the Second Invasion of Iraq. In my relatively short life, I've seen the US go to war against Al-Qaeda, and now tacitly support it and co-Islamists in a neighboring country. We've always been at War with Eastasia, it seems.

 

[whichphilosophy]

Since US entered on its rampages of regime change (with its UK poodle in tow), it created a perfect vacuum for Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, ISIS and other fanatics of their ilk to fill the void.

So what we see here are the ripples of US meddling.

Certainly, the US bears a portion of the blame. Not only for its more recent incursions, but almost it's entire Post-WW2 strategy in the region could be said to have contributed, albeit less directly.

Certainly, it shouldn't be forgotten that the US backed the rebels. Which has been fascinating for me, since my earliest political memories opinions probably formed in response to the Invasion of Afghanistan and the Second Invasion of Iraq. In my relatively short life, I've seen the US go to war against Al-Qaeda, and now tacitly support it and co-Islamists in a neighboring country. We've always been at War with Eastasia, it seems.

Do you see the chain of causation down to the present day arising out of this?

 

[LordKiran]

Where do you get this nonsense?

Since US entered on its rampages of regime change (with its UK poodle in tow), it created a perfect vacuum for Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, ISIS and other fanatics of their ilk to fill the void.

So what we see here are the ripples of US meddling.

See Tulsi Gabbard (DEM) who introduced a bill to prevent people supporting terrorists aka freedom fighters
[YOUTUBE]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76GhC5d52d8[/YOUTUBE]

Terrorist and Freedom fighter are not synonymous. So no, Terrorists are not aka 'Freedom fighters'.

 

[Harry Bosch]

Of course it was an asinine response - it was Trump flying solo. But denying the fact that planes from that airbase are known to have dropped Sarin gas on Syrian citizens, is just trollery.

U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

In fact this whole war is a chain reaction caused by US foreign policy.

Or by Russian foreign policy, or by Elron Hubbard or his invented Xenu-god... your ramblings of causation are of no consequence.

We agree on Asinine. However he curried favour even with Senator McCain who applauded this and perhaps put some lipstick on his dipstickari.

We know the victims were poisoned with Sarin. It's easy to diagnose. We don't know for sure how this happened as admitted from time to time by the US and others. That's why there should be an investigation.
America caused the war in the first place and hundreds of thousands of deaths. What we see today is a chain reaction stemming from this. Hubbard was dead when the US armed the rebels (half of which were Al Nusra and similar).

This war is another US cock up.

I'm wondering if you are confusing Syria with Iraq? The Syrian civil war started when a bunch of kids spray painted some anti-Assad propaganda. They were arrested and then brutally tortured. The Syrian's started protesting, and then Assad starting killing more. But the roots are their crazy religions conflicting with each other and the Assad family's brutal sectarian rule. Here's a history of the conflict:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War

 

[barbos]

Of course it was an asinine response - it was Trump flying solo. But denying the fact that planes from that airbase are known to have dropped Sarin gas on Syrian citizens, is just trollery.

U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

In fact this whole war is a chain reaction caused by US foreign policy.

Or by Russian foreign policy, or by Elron Hubbard or his invented Xenu-god... your ramblings of causation are of no consequence.

We agree on Asinine. However he curried favour even with Senator McCain who applauded this and perhaps put some lipstick on his dipstickari.

We know the victims were poisoned with Sarin. It's easy to diagnose. We don't know for sure how this happened as admitted from time to time by the US and others. That's why there should be an investigation.
America caused the war in the first place and hundreds of thousands of deaths. What we see today is a chain reaction stemming from this. Hubbard was dead when the US armed the rebels (half of which were Al Nusra and similar).

This war is another US cock up.

I'm wondering if you are confusing Syria with Iraq? The Syrian civil war started when a bunch of kids spray painted some anti-Assad propaganda. They were arrested and then brutally tortured. The Syrian's started protesting, and then Assad starting killing more. But the roots are their crazy religions conflicting with each other and the Assad family's brutal sectarian rule. Here's a history of the conflict:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War

Yeah, Imagine Russia and US nuking each other because some kid spray-painted something in Damascus. Bahrain government shot bunch of protesters and we heard nothing from US state department, Is it because Bahrain is US ally and US has a military base there?

 

[Harry Bosch]

Of course it was an asinine response - it was Trump flying solo. But denying the fact that planes from that airbase are known to have dropped Sarin gas on Syrian citizens, is just trollery.

U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

In fact this whole war is a chain reaction caused by US foreign policy.

Or by Russian foreign policy, or by Elron Hubbard or his invented Xenu-god... your ramblings of causation are of no consequence.

We agree on Asinine. However he curried favour even with Senator McCain who applauded this and perhaps put some lipstick on his dipstickari.

We know the victims were poisoned with Sarin. It's easy to diagnose. We don't know for sure how this happened as admitted from time to time by the US and others. That's why there should be an investigation.
America caused the war in the first place and hundreds of thousands of deaths. What we see today is a chain reaction stemming from this. Hubbard was dead when the US armed the rebels (half of which were Al Nusra and similar).

This war is another US cock up.

I'm wondering if you are confusing Syria with Iraq? The Syrian civil war started when a bunch of kids spray painted some anti-Assad propaganda. They were arrested and then brutally tortured. The Syrian's started protesting, and then Assad starting killing more. But the roots are their crazy religions conflicting with each other and the Assad family's brutal sectarian rule. Here's a history of the conflict:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War

Yeah, Imagine Russia and US nuking each other because some kid spray-painted something in Damascus. Bahrain government shot bunch of protesters and we heard nothing from US state department, Is it because Bahrain is US ally and US has a military base there?

What are you trying to say? That the Syrian civil war was started because the US state department condemned the Assad practice of torturing protestors??

 

[whichphilosophy]

Since US entered on its rampages of regime change (with its UK poodle in tow), it created a perfect vacuum for Al Qaeda, Al Nusra, ISIS and other fanatics of their ilk to fill the void.

So what we see here are the ripples of US meddling.

See Tulsi Gabbard (DEM) who introduced a bill to prevent people supporting terrorists aka freedom fighters
[YOUTUBE]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76GhC5d52d8[/YOUTUBE]

Terrorist and Freedom fighter are not synonymous. So no, Terrorists are not aka 'Freedom fighters'.

The Shining Path call themselves Freedom Fighters. One Man's Terrorist is another Man's Freedom Fighter. The US backed Freedom fighters in Syria, or the USA sponsored terrorism in Syria.

 

[barbos]

Of course it was an asinine response - it was Trump flying solo. But denying the fact that planes from that airbase are known to have dropped Sarin gas on Syrian citizens, is just trollery.

U.S. signals and aerial intelligence, combined with local reporting and samples taken from victims of the attack, showed that a Russian-made, Syrian-piloted SU-22 aircraft dropped at least one munition carrying the nerve gas sarin on the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun.

In fact this whole war is a chain reaction caused by US foreign policy.

Or by Russian foreign policy, or by Elron Hubbard or his invented Xenu-god... your ramblings of causation are of no consequence.

We agree on Asinine. However he curried favour even with Senator McCain who applauded this and perhaps put some lipstick on his dipstickari.

We know the victims were poisoned with Sarin. It's easy to diagnose. We don't know for sure how this happened as admitted from time to time by the US and others. That's why there should be an investigation.
America caused the war in the first place and hundreds of thousands of deaths. What we see today is a chain reaction stemming from this. Hubbard was dead when the US armed the rebels (half of which were Al Nusra and similar).

This war is another US cock up.

I'm wondering if you are confusing Syria with Iraq? The Syrian civil war started when a bunch of kids spray painted some anti-Assad propaganda. They were arrested and then brutally tortured. The Syrian's started protesting, and then Assad starting killing more. But the roots are their crazy religions conflicting with each other and the Assad family's brutal sectarian rule. Here's a history of the conflict:

https://www.britannica.com/event/Syrian-Civil-War

Yeah, Imagine Russia and US nuking each other because some kid spray-painted something in Damascus. Bahrain government shot bunch of protesters and we heard nothing from US state department, Is it because Bahrain is US ally and US has a military base there?

What are you trying to say? That the Syrian civil war was started because the US state department condemned the Assad practice of torturing protestors??

No, I am trying to say that State Department said nothing when Bahrain government did the same.