I suppose this didn't turn up on the NSA's Metadata, huh? Just by chance, while the NSA was spying in Germany they missed this one.
By Matthew Schofield
McClatchy Foreign Staff
BERLIN -- Syrian President Bashar Assad (click here) has repeatedly rejected requests from his field commanders for approval to use chemical weapons, according to a report this weekend in a German newspaper.
The
report in Bild am Sonntag, which is a widely read and influential
national Sunday newspaper, reported that the head of the German Foreign
Intelligence agency, Gerhard Schindler, last week told a select group of
German lawmakers that intercepted communications had convinced German
intelligence officials that Assad did not order or approve what is
believed to be a sarin gas attack on Aug. 21 that killed hundreds of
people in Damascus’ eastern suburbs.
The Obama administration has blamed the attack on Assad. The evidence against Assad was described over the weekend as common sense by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on CNN’s "State of the Union."
“The material was used in the eastern suburbs of Damascus that have been controlled by the opposition for some time,” he said. “It was delivered by rockets, rockets that we know the Assad regime has, and we have no indication that the opposition has.”...
The Obama administration has blamed the attack on Assad. The evidence against Assad was described over the weekend as common sense by White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough on CNN’s "State of the Union."
“The material was used in the eastern suburbs of Damascus that have been controlled by the opposition for some time,” he said. “It was delivered by rockets, rockets that we know the Assad regime has, and we have no indication that the opposition has.”...
