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posted by martyb on Friday April 07 2017, @02:40AM   Printer-friendly
from the things-that-go-fast-and-go-boom dept.

Following reports of the use of chemical weapons in Syria, President Trump authorized the launch of Tomahawk cruise missiles against a base in Syria. The Russian government was notified prior to the launch as they have resources in the area that was attacked.

According to NBC News:

The United States launched dozens of cruise missiles Thursday night at a Syrian airfield in response to what it believes was Syria's use of banned chemical weapons that killed at least 100 people, U.S. military officials told NBC News.

Two U.S. warships in the Mediterranean Sea fired 59 Tomahawk missiles intended for a single target — Ash Sha'irat in Homs province in western Syria, the officials said. That's the airfield from which the United States believes the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fired the banned weapons.

There was no immediate word on casualties. U.S. officials told NBC News that people were not targeted and that aircraft and infrastructure at the site were hit, including the runway and gas fuel pumps.

Also at Al Jazeera:

The United States has launched 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles against Syrian government targets in retaliation for what the Trump administration charges was a Syrian government chemical weapons attack that killed scores of civilians, a US official says.

The targets hit from US ships in the Mediterranean Sea included the air base in the central city of Homs from which the Syrian aircraft staged Tuesday's chemical weapons attack, the US official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

[...] He [Trump] called on "civilised nations" to join US in "seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria".

Syrian state TV said "American aggression targets Syrian military targets with a number of missiles".

The poison gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province on Tuesday killed at least 86 people, including 27 children, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Turkey said samples from victims of Tuesday's attack indicate they were exposed to sarin, a highly toxic nerve agent.

The New York Times adds:

The Pentagon informed Russian military officials, through its established deconfliction channel, of the strike before the launching of the missiles, the official said, with American officials knowing when they did that that Russian authorities may well have alerted the Assad regime. "With a lot of Tomahawks flying, we didn't want to hit any Russian planes," he said.

[...] It was Mr. Trump's first order to the military for the use of force — other operations in Syria, Yemen and Iraq had been carried out under authorization delegated to his commanders — and appeared intended to send a message to North Korea, Iran and other potential adversaries that the new commander in chief was prepared to act, and sometimes on short notice.

The airstrikes were carried out less than an hour after the president concluded a dinner with Xi Jinping, the president of China, at Mar-a-Lago, sending an unmistakably aggressive signal about Mr. Trump's willingness to use the military power at his disposal.

Mr. Trump authorized the strike with no congressional approval for the use of force, an assertion of presidential authority that contrasts sharply with the protracted deliberations over the use of force by his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.

[...] Mr. Trump moved with remarkable speed, delivering the punishing military strike barely 72 hours after the devastating chemical attack that killed 80 people this week.

Wikipedia notes: Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war .

 
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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by DeathMonkey on Friday April 07 2017, @05:04PM (4 children)

    by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday April 07 2017, @05:04PM (#490351) Journal

    This attack on their ally, Syria, would seem to have a likelihood of provoking the Russians.

    Already happening!

    US air strikes in Syria latest: Russia suspends agreement that prevents direct conflict with American forces [independent.co.uk]

    Russia says US air strikes in Syria came 'within an inch' of military clash with their forces

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  • (Score: 2) by butthurt on Friday April 07 2017, @06:25PM (2 children)

    by butthurt (6141) on Friday April 07 2017, @06:25PM (#490415) Journal

    From that second story:

    Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said the strike deliberately avoided sections of the base where the Russians were believed to be present.

    -- https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/russia-us-air-strikes-syria-russia-within-inch-military-clash-war-dmitry-medvedev-prime-minister-a7672791.html [independent.co.uk]

    If that's true, then the Anonymous Coward poster above was correct: an effort was made to avoid provoking the Russians.

    Those people investigating whether Mr. Trump and his associates collaborated with the Russians should be regretful. For all our sakes, I hope they call off that investigation.

    /politics/article.pl?sid=17/03/31/0316213 [soylentnews.org]

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @07:41PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @07:41PM (#490476)

      Those people investigating whether Mr. Trump and his associates collaborated with the Russians should be regretful. For all our sakes, I hope they call off that investigation.

      That is some battered-wife syndrome shit right there.
      If russia attacked the US election process we should just pretend it didn't happen so that we won't get into a fight with russia.
      News flash, dumbass, if the allegations are true that was an act of war. Literally.

      • (Score: 2) by butthurt on Saturday April 08 2017, @01:35AM

        by butthurt (6141) on Saturday April 08 2017, @01:35AM (#490645) Journal

        > [...] if the allegations are true that was an act of war.

        The United States tried, with apparent success, to manipulate an election in Russia:

        Urged by the United States, the International Monetary Fund granted a $10.2 billion loan to Russia in February [1996] and enabled the government to spend huge sums paying long-owed back wages and pensions to millions of Russians, with some overdue checks arriving shortly before the June election.

        -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_presidential_election,_1996#Campaign [wikipedia.org]

        This investigation could embarrass Mr. Trump. Is he trying to show us that he isn't under Russia's thumb?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @07:45PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday April 07 2017, @07:45PM (#490479)

    Russia says US air strikes in Syria came 'within an inch' of military clash with their forces

    Yes!

    I was so worried when Hillary lost. I thought that World War 3 might not happen without her.

    I hope there are nukes!