April 6, 2018
By Ben Hubbard
Beirut, Lebanon — Dozens of Syrians (click here) choked to death after a suspected chemical attack struck the rebel-held suburb of Douma, sending a stream of patients with burning eyes and breathing problems to medical clinics, aid groups said on Sunday.
Medical and rescue groups blamed President Bashar al-Assad’s government for the assault on the suburb, east of the capital, Damascus, which took place after dusk on Saturday.
Foreign governments expressed alarm at the reports of an attack, and the British Foreign Office called for an urgent investigation, saying that if the use of chemical weapons proved to be true, “it is further proof of Assad’s brutality.”
Rescue workers reported finding at least 42 people dead in their homes from apparent suffocation, and antigovernment activists circulated videos of lifeless men, women and children sprawled on floors....
From Sputnik:
April 8, 2018
Earlier, (click here) the US State Department had expressed concern about the reports of chemical weapons use in Douma that allegedly led to deaths of 40 people, claiming that Russia was accountable for targeting Syrians; the Russian military has refuted the allegations, saying they were aimed at disrupting of Jaysh al-Islam militants' evacuation from E Ghouta.
Hoax, also known in the USA as "Fake News." Do Russians ever get anything but fake news?
To the right a picture of the notorious "White Helmets.""Hoaxes on attacks using chlorine or other poisonous substances by Syrian government forces are continuing to emerge. Another such hoax that has supposedly taken place is the alleged chemical attack in Douma yesterday. At the same time, references have been made to the notorious NGO "White Helmets," which has been repeatedly caught acting with terrorists, as well as other so-called humanitarian organizations based in the United Kingdom and the United States," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry went on to say that it had repeatedly warned about possible provocations involving the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Their major aim is to accuse Syrian government forces of chemical weapons use and justify possible military intervention in Syria from abroad, according to the ministry's statement....
Russia is propagating the war in Syria. Russia will veto any resolution by the UN Security Council. Russia is as guilty of these deaths as Assad.
"Support the White Helmets" (click here)
The UN Security Council passed Resolution 2139 (click here) in 2014 which banned barrel bombs and other indiscriminate weapons. They promised to take further steps if their resolution was violated. More than two years later, thousands more barrel bombs have been dropped, killing thousands more children. The Council didn’t act.
They need armored vehicles to carry out their mission.
Has anyone kept a tally of the religious impact of those killed? It is my suspicion Assad is not killing rebels so much as Sunnis.
The focus regarding the Syrian CIVIL War is numbers of REBELS or CIVILIANS. The reason the definition of rebel entered the descriptors, is due to the ravages of Daesh.
The real question before the UN Security Council is not that killing is going on, but, whom are being killed. These chemical weapons attacks can no longer be denied by Assad. The earlier attacks were carefully validated by President Obama. Assad continues to use chemical weapons since Trump came into office. Has the killing by Assad changed from enemies of Syria to Sunnis that onced lived in peace with Shi'ties of Syria. I am more convinced than ever that Assad is no longer fighting a civil war, but, conducting ethnic cleansing based in religious differences. It has to be confirmed and to date the numbers do not reflect that.
Assad has to be stopped. His forces have the majority of the country, there should be negotiations with any element other than the Syrian government for surrender and survival and return to peace within Syria. This is not happening. There is no compassion with Assad. His forces are killing for undetermined reasons.
If Assad is getting intelligence from Russia, it isn't intelligence so much as permission. I don't think Russia has sincere intelligence on Syria. Ask Israel.
It is difficult to tell by Governate any majority ethnicity. Many of these governates are cosmopolitan in that there are districts within them representing a diverse population. At least they used to be diverse.
