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Evidence that Assad forces launched Chemical Attack

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US set for Syria strikes after Kerry says evidence of chemical attack is 'clear' | World news | The Guardian

US set for Syria strikes after Kerry says evidence of chemical attack is 'clear'

Paul Lewis and Spencer Ackerman Washington
The Guardian, Friday 30 August 2013 14.32 EDT

John Kerry advanced what he called a "clear and compelling" case that Syria was responsible for a chemical attack that killed nearly 1,500 people, in a statement on Friday that made clear the US was on the verge of military strikes against the Assad regime.

Speaking in a blunt terms, the US secretary of state branded the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad a "thug and a murderer", and said the United States could not stand by and let a dictator get away with such serious crimes.

"History will judge us all extraordinarily harshly if we turn a blind eye to a dictator's wanton use of weapons of mass destruction," Kerry said in a briefing to reporters at the State Department in Washington.

Speaking soon after, Barack Obama said that he was considering "limited, narrow action" against Syria. "We can not accept a world where women and children and innocent civilians are gassed on a terrible scale," he said.

Pointedly, Kerry made no mention of the decision by the British government to pull out of the coalition, after prime minister David Cameron lost a crucial vote in the House of Commons on Thursday. Instead, Kerry referred to France as the "oldest ally" of the US, after president François Hollande pledged support for military action against Syria.

As Kerry spoke, the White House released a an unclassified four-page dossier. The assessment said the US intelligence community had "high confidence" that Assad's forces were behind the attack, which it said killed at least 1,429 Syrians, including at least 426 children.

Obama said that the US did not intend to be dragged into Syria's civil war. "We're not considering any open-ended commitment," he said at a photo opportunity with Baltic leaders. "We're not considering any boots-on-the-ground approach."

The president conceded that many people, himself included, were "war-weary" after a decade of US military interventions, but added: "A lot of people think something should be done – but nobody wants to do it."

An attack could happen as soon as Saturday, when UN weapons inspectors are due to leave Syria, after their mission in the country was apparently cut short amid expectations of an attack. However the UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon told security council members on Friday evening that it could be two weeks before the final results of their analysis is ready.

On Thursday, the White House said any strikes would be "discrete and limited".

Kerry said there will be no boots on the ground, and that the attack would not be open-ended, "and it will not assume responsibility for a civil war that is already under way." He described a "limited and tailored response that a despot's flagrant use of chemical weapons will be held responsible".

He insisted the impending military action would not be a similar to conflicts in Libya, Afghanistan or Iraq, saying of the 2003 invasion of the last named: "We will not repeat that moment."

However, in a line reminiscent of George W Bush's "axis of evil", Kerry specifically mentioned a host of US enemies, saying Iran could be "emboldened" if the US did not act.

"It is about Hezbollah, and North Korea, and every other terrorist group that might ever again contemplate the use of weapons of mass destruction. Will they remember the Assad regime was stopped from those weapons current or future use? Or will they remember that the world stood aside and created impunity?"

Kerry portrayed taking tough action as a matter of US credibility, saying other countries that might use chemical weapons were watching. "They want to see whether the United States and our friends mean what we say," he said. "It matters deeply to the credibility and the future of the United States of America and our allies."

The secretary of state, who along with Obama has been involved in an intense diplomatic offensive to garner support for its Syria policy, sought to cast the planned action as having broad support. He mentioned an Arab League statement which condemned the Syria, and quoted statements from leaders of Australia and France.

In his statement, Kerry gave the most detailed assessment yet of what happened on 21 August. He said Assad's forces had the largest stockpile of chemical weapons in the Middle East and used them several times this year. He said Syria also wanted to clear problematic Damascus suburbs of opposition forces and had grown "frustrated".

"We know that three days before the attack the Syrian regime's chemical weapons personnel were on the ground in the area making preparations," Kerry said.

He claimed Syrian forces took precautions such as putting on gas masks before the attacks.

"We know that these were specific instructions. We know where the rockets were launched from and at what time; we know where they landed and when. We know rockets came only from regime controlled areas and went only to opposition controlled or contested neighbourhoods." Thirty minutes later, "all hell broke loose" on social media, Kerry said.


Kerry chose to highly emotive language to describe the aftermath of the attacks, painting a vivid scene of "twitching bodies" and victims "foaming at the mouth", all captured in video posted online. "Instead of being tucked safely in their beds at home, we saw rows of children, lying side by side, sprawled on a hospital floor – all of them dead from Assad's gas, and surrounded by parents and grandparents who had suffered the same fate."

The secretary of state sought to reassure the public that the intelligence, which has come under growing scrutiny in recent days, was reliable. "This is common sense," he said. "This is evidence. These are facts."

Kerry added that it was in the interests of the world to punish Assad, but repeatedly cast the impending action as a matter of US credibility. "If we choose to live in a world where a thug and a murderer like Bashar Al-Assad can gas thousands of his own people with impunity, even after the United States and our allies said no, and then the world does nothing about it, there will be no end to the test of our resolve, and the dangers that will flow from those others who believe they can do what they will."

Meanwhile, senior administration officials pressed the case against Syria in a telephone briefing for journalists. "I don't think there's any doubt to the world that a chemical weapons attack took place given the thousands of sources," one said on the call.

The senior officials were authorised by the White House to speak on condition of anonymity. On Thursday, White House deputy spokesman Josh Earnest discouraged reporters from trusting anonymous administration sources, saying they should "place more credibility in on-the-record statements".

"We feel like our case is strong, our case is clear: the Assad regime is responsible for this mass casualty chemical weapons attack," one of the officials said.


Kerry's remarks came five days after he first signalled the US was planning to take tough action against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons in a suburb of Damascus. Kerry and Obama have been involved in an intense round of diplomacy over the last week, seeking to conjure international backing for a tough response against Syria. However, they are now faced with launching a military assault with less support than George W Bush received for the 2003 war in Iraq.

Three out of the five permanent members of the UN security council, the only international authority that can sanction military action that is not in a nation state's self-defence, now oppose action.

Russian and Chinese opposition was widely expected. But the vote in the British parliament on Thursday came as a deep surprise to Washington, which appears to have taken for granted that London, which has spent months lobbying for tough action on Syria, would support strikes.

The White House has indicated it does not believe it needs the backing of Congress, nor the support of traditional allies, before taking action against Assad.

France is the only major power that has indicated it would support force against Syria. French president François Hollande told Le Monde on Friday that France wants "proportional and firm action", adding that the chemical weapons attack in Syria "cannot and must not remain unpunished".

Germany has ruled out backing military action against Syria, and it was not clear whether the US had significant support from the region, although the Arab League strongly condemned the Syrian regime.

Late on Thursday, the administration held a conference call with congressional leaders and the chairs and ranking members of relevant committees. The White House said the call was to "to brief them on the administration's thinking and seek their input" on what to do about Syria.

Reports said senior administration officials assured members of Congress that there was "no doubt" Assad's forces were responsible for the chemical attack. Sixteen members of Congress asked questions during the 90-minute call; 11 apparently did not.

Administration officials, while pledging to work with Congress, were non-committal about whether a strike requires legislative approval, a longstanding tension between the congressional and executive branches of the US government.

There were few signs of a consensus emerging from the meeting. The Democratic senator Carl Levin, the chairman of the armed services committee, was notably more cautious than the administration's position. "I have previously called for the United States to work with our friends and allies to increase the military pressure on the Assad regime by providing lethal aid to vetted elements of the Syrian opposition," Levin said after the call.

"Tonight, I suggested that we should do so while UN inspectors complete their work and while we seek international support for limited, targeted strikes in response to the Assad regime's large-scale use of chemical weapons against the Syrian people."

Eliot Engel of New York, the top Democrat on the House foreign affairs committee, said after the call that Obama was "still weighing his options and will continue to consult with Congress". Engel said he was persuaded that Assad's forces used chemical weapons "intentionally" against Syrian civilians on 21 August.

Politico reported that Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress and a former House speaker, pressed Obama on the phone call to "do something" in response to the chemical attack.

Yet even some some typically hawkish Republicans are balking at intervening in Syria. Jim Inhofe, the top Republican on the Senate armed services committee, issued a statement ahead of the call rejecting a Syria strike, partly on the grounds that Obama's Pentagon budget cannot afford it, and questioning the utility of a limited attack.

"It is vital we avoid short-sighted military action that would have little impact on the long-term trajectory of the conflict," Inhofe said. "We can't simply launch a few missiles and hope for the best."

More than 200 members of Congress, mostly Republicans, have signed a letter rejecting military action without the explicit permission of Congress
 
last time Colin Powell, the most decorated 4 star black general, secretary of state waved a vial of yellow powder in the UN making a case for the attack of Iraq.

This time Kerry the Chin is to fart in the UN to prove sarin gas does exist?

Give me a break.
 
'War-weary' Obama says Syria chemical attack requires response - CNN.com
http://english.alarabiya.net/en/New...-Syria-regime-change-not-limited-strikes.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/31/world/middleeast/syria.html
Obama weighing
New chemical attacks evidence in Syria | World | News | Daily Express

US officials are now certain a toxic gas strike in Damascus that killed 1,300 people last week was unleashed by Bashar al-Assad’s forces. It is claimed intelligence officials listened in as the regime’s Ministry of Defence and its chemical weapons unit discussed the attack. A US official called the intercepted phone calls “panicked”.

Horrific pictures have also emerged of injured civilians who Assad’s political rivals say were targeted with phosphorous bombs by the regime.

The opposition coalition said that the president’s forces had dropped the bombs and napalm on civilians in rural Aleppo on Monday.

US officials are now certain a toxic gas strike in Damascus that killed 1,300 people last week was unleashed by Bashar al-Assad’s forces
It comes as Turkey sent extra aid workers trained to identify and decontaminate chemical weapons victims to its border with Syria.

Meanwhile, UN chemical weapons investigators crossed Syria’s front line into rebel-held territory yesterday for a second visit to the scene of the attack near Damascus.

Turkey Releases Evidence Linking Syria Regime to Attack - Wall Street Journal - WSJ.com

Turkey Releases Evidence Linking Syria Regime to Attack

By Joe Parkinson

ISTANBUL—Shortly before the U.S. disclosed intelligence purporting to show Syria’s government used chemical weapons last week, Turkey published details which Ankara said left “no doubt” that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces were responsible for a poison gas attack that killed hundreds of people in a Damascus suburb.

The news item was released on Turkey’s state news agency, Anadolu, shortly after foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu told a news conference that Turkey had proof of Damascus’ culpability. The report, which read like a diplomatic cable and could not be independently verified, detailed the precise time, location and weapons used in the attack, as well as the Syrian brigade which launched it.

According to the report, which you can read here, the attack was carried out from two separate locations and involved 15 to 20 chemical warheads. The warheads were fired by the 155th Missile Brigade in Qutayfa, 35 km north of Damascus and the 4th Armored Division in Qasyoun Mountain, also north of the capital, the news item said.

“From our point of view, totally based on our national intelligence and assessments by our national experts … there is no doubt that the regime is responsible,” Davutoglu told reporters in Ankara, shortly before the disclosure.


The report came as Washington planned to release an unclassified version of its intelligence assessment of the chemical weapons attack, according to U.S. officials. The push for a quick international strike to punish Syria for what the U.S. said was a chemical-weapons attack appeared in disarray on Thursday, after British lawmakers defeated a government motion in support of military action.

Syrian government officials have denied the Assad regime used chemical weapons, and accused their opponents of staging the attacks to provoke international action.

Turkey, which has long been one of Mr. Assad’s most vocal critics, last week said it would be ready to take part in any international action against Assad, even outside the auspices of the United Nations. Ankara has put its armed forces on alert to guard against threats along its 565-mile border with Syria.

AA reaches details of chemical attack in Syria Anadolu Agency

AA reaches details of chemical attack in Syria

30 August 2013 15:51 (Last updated 30 August 2013 15:53)
Anadolu Agency (AA) reached detailed list including information about the chemical attack as well as the names of Syrian army troops who were on duty during the attack in Damascus.

ANKARA

Anadolu Agency (AA) reached detailed list including information about the chemical attack as well as the names of Syrian army troops who were on duty during the attack in Damascus.
According to the list of names of the Syrian regime troops who participated in the chemical attack, 155th Missile Brigade: 51,52,577,578,579 and 1097th Missile Row and technical support row to support them were resposible for the chemical attack.

The attack directly organized by Syrian regime forces was done on 21 August, 2013 at 02.45 a.m. targeting Zamelka, Douma-Harasta regions in East and West Ghouta.

The chemical weapon attacks by Assad regime were carried out by two separate centers simultaneously.

The attack was carried out with about 15-20 chemical warheads missile-rockets by the troops between 155th Missile Brigade in Qutayfa, 35 km to the north of Damascus and 4th Armored Division in Qasyoun Mountain. In the attack in Qutayfa, it is estimated that the regime used the missiles of FROG-7/Luna and/or M600. In Qasyoun, 220 mm rockets with 15-70 km-range were estimated to be used in the attack.


englishnews@aa.com.tr
 
Where is that evidence again? Are they going to share the evidence with other countries so that they also support action against Assad? If I see that evidence then I'll also support that action.

But if its going to be corporate America being the investigator, lawyer, judge, jury and executioner, with their Wahhabi fan base as cheer leaders with open purses, then this news report is not worth printing on double ply soft paper.
 
last time Colin Powell, the most decorated 4 star black general, secretary of state waved a vial of yellow powder in the UN making a case for the attack of Iraq.

This time Kerry the Chin is to fart in the UN to prove sarin gas does exist?

Give me a break.

This time it is different. I am convinced Assad did kill 1400 people with Chemical gas attack and lets not forget that 100,000 people died in this war, because he thinks its his way or the high way.
 
^^^^
^^^^^

What you believe is irrelevant. What Obama believes is irrelevant.

If we (the world citizen) are to live by a just and lawful world order, evidence must be produced.

WHERE ARE THE EVIDENCE?
 
This hideous lunatic Al-Assad better known as the Child-Murderer has used chemical weapons before. Last week he did it again. He must be removed sooner rather than later.

A infiltrator must come close to him and eliminate him as quickly as possible before the remaining of his Child-Murderers and Pagans get annihilated.

The Syrians with Western help or not will succeed in those missions ultimately.
 
The US says it will attack Assad and his missiles force without UN approval, How would you response to that?

By making an irrelevant post?

@Topic - if one has evidence, share it. If one is going to use force unilaterally to please some kings, then one does not even need to make up the excuse of evidence.
 
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The U.S just provided an evidence that Alasad sunk Titanic... ignorant people will only believe that evidence... stupidity has no cure, stupid people will obey their masters... if USA said the earth was flat, members here will agree with them, because it's their masters and they are it's puppets...
 

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