https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/world/middleeast/syria-chemical-attack-trump.html
American officials have seen chemical weapons activity at a Syrian air base that was used in the spring nerve gas attack on rebel-held territory, the Defense Department said on Tuesday, scrambling to explain what prompted a White House statement a day earlier that Syria would "pay a heavy price" if it carried out another one.
Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters that what looked like active preparations for a chemical attack were seen at Al Shayrat airfield, which was struck in April by American cruise missiles two days after the Syrian government dropped bombs loaded with toxic chemicals in northern Syria. Another Defense Department official said that an aircraft shelter at Al Shayrat that had been hit by an American Tomahawk missile was being used for the preparation.
Syrian and Russian officials rejected the accusation, calling the White House statement a provocation.
(Score: 3, Informative) by butthurt on Friday June 30 2017, @06:10PM (1 child)
> I have looked for evidence that he is loathed by his people [...]
I have the impression that there's a sizable number of Syrians among those have taken up arms against his government.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday June 30 2017, @07:55PM
There's a sizable percentage of US people who hate the current US leader as well. The US Gov has also been guilty of committing very many evil deeds. Does that mean some foreign countries should sponsor a rebellion and then a civil war in the USA?
No? But that's what the US Gov and their allies did and are doing with Syria: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-syria-wikileaks-idUSTRE73H0E720110418 [reuters.com]
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/cia-said-to-aid-in-steering-arms-to-syrian-rebels.html?pagewanted=all [nytimes.com]
Accusations that the Syrian Gov are used chemical weapons in April 2017 are very hard for me to believe:
1) The Syrian Gov was winning (with Russia's help) - they retook Aleppo (anyone remember the cries about imminent genocide and "Aleppo has fallen"?).
2) Trump was agreeable with working with Syria to fight ISIS or at least leaving Syria alone: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/syria-president-bashar-al-assad-donald-trump-focus-isis-promising-islamic-state-jihadists-a7566411.html [independent.co.uk]
http://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/donald-trump-orders-military-in-syria-to-focus-on-isis-rather-than-bashar-alassad-in-major-us-a3503746.html [standard.co.uk]
3) And that of course was fine with the Syrian Gov.
4) Then suddenly and conveniently there's the infamous gas attack: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Shaykhun_chemical_attack [wikipedia.org]
The fact is the Syrian Gov is pretty good at killing their own people (barrel bombs etc), they don't fucking need chemical weapons to do it. Do you really believe Assad is such a retard that he would use chemical weapons and allow the US Military get Trump to make a u-turn? Especially after he has seen what has happened to Saddam and Gaddafi?
From what I see Assad may be evil but he's not that stupid. So that gas attack smells of false flag to me.
The chaos in that area is what the US want and predicted from their actions: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2015/05/newly-declassified-u-s-government-documents-the-west-supported-the-creation-of-isis.html [washingtonsblog.com]
The US Gov doesn't want ISIS eliminated, they want ISIS _contained_ and used to help destroy or weaken Syria. Whereas the Russians wanted ISIS eliminated and so they did a lot more damage against the ISIS in a relatively short time than the US did in their long campaign.