Chemical Weapons Aren’t Assad’s Only Atrocity. We Need New ‘Red Lines.’
BEIRUT — On Saturday, aid groups accused Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria of carrying out a suspected chemical attack in the rebel-held suburb of Douma, east of Damascus. That would mean Assad has once again violated a string of U.N. Security Council resolutions and warnings regarding his use of chemical weapons. Casualty figures range from 40 to 70 killed and hundreds to thousands injured.

The international response has thus far been familiar: Words such as “monster,” “vicious” and “unacceptable” are being recycled in news statements and interviews; another round of strikes on Syrian regime facilities appears to be on the table, with Russia warning of “grave repercussions” in the case of a U.S. military response. President Trump warned Wednesday morning that missile strikes “will be coming, nice and new and ‘smart’!” and that Russia “shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!”

After the last time Assad used chemical weapons, almost exactly a year ago, U.S. strikes on a Syrian airfield did little to deter him. An effective U.S. response this time should take into account the overall brutality with which the Syrian president has conducted this war — including the use of chemical weapons but also other atrocities that the world has up until now shrugged off.

The signal that the international community for years has given Assad is that conventional military tactics that may constitute war crimes are acceptable, while chemical weapons use is (sometimes) not. With some calling this a “defining moment” for Trump, it is critical for him and his aides to refrain from an emotional, one-off strike that would do nothing to change Assad’s behavior, and instead work to prevent any further war crimes and crimes against humanity.

As both the Obama and Trump administrations have previously demonstrated, the core U.S. interest in Syria has been the defeat of the Islamic State. Second
on the list of U.S. national security concerns is, as Trump’s new national security adviser John Bolton recently articulated, to “prevent people from violating treaties that try to restrict the use or the spread of weapons of mass destruction.”

However, given the unfathomable suffering that has beset the Syrian people at the hands of this brutal regime, the unwillingness of the international community to threaten action unless the Islamic State (ISIS) or chemical weapons are involved (and even then, only selectively) is doing much more harm than good. In all the current discussions about next steps, one element is noticeably and consistently absent: Syria’s civilians, who for the past several years have lived in a terrifying hell on Earth, often unable to leave their houses. In December, the Syrian Network for Human Rights estimated that the regime had dropped nearly 70,000 barrel bombs since July 2012 — and sometimes forced people to watch as children slowly starved to death.

Assad knows he will not be punished for the myriad war crimes and crimes against humanity that his regime has committed. The International Mechanism gathering evidence for a trial that may or may not take place in the future is probably a source of great amusement ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/chem...e-need-new-red-lines&utm_campaign=20180412IHS
 
Trump: 'No Final Decision' Made on Striking Syria
Amid a Russian warning that a military conflict could erupt with the United States over Syria, President Donald Trump convened his National Security Council to discuss the American response to the recent alleged chemical weapons attack blamed on the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"President Trump just finished a meeting with his national security team to discuss the situation in Syria. No final decision has been made," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. "We are continuing to assess intelligence and are engaged in conversations with our partners and allies. The president will speak with [French] President [Emmanuel] Macron and [British] Prime Minister [Theresa] May this evening."

Before meeting with his top security and military advisers, Trump said a decision would be "made fairly soon."

Focus on military might

Later, during an afternoon event in the White House Rose Garden at which Trump touted an increased defense budget, the president declared that "we're going to have the strongest military we've ever had, and can you think of a better time to have it? Right? This is when we need it."

Amid speculation a U.S.-led strike conducted with several allies on ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...412-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2264.ph0ao0037n.231c


Syria: Break impasse in Security Council, avoid situation 'spiraling out of control' - UN chief
12 April 2018 - Amid the risks of the situation in Syria "spiraling out of control," the United Nations chief has appealed to the five permanent members of the Security Council to break the current deadlock on reported use of chemical weapons in the war-torn country.

"I have also been closely following developments in the Security Council and regret that the Council has so far been unable to reach agreement on this issue," Secretary-General António Guterres said in a statement issued late Wednesday night.

"Let us not forget that, ultimately, our efforts must be about ending the terrible suffering of the Syrian people," he added.

Mr. Guterres said that he called the ambassadors of the five permanent Council members – China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States – on Wednesday to reiterate his "deep concern about the risks of the current impasse" and stressed the need to "avoid the situation spiraling out of control."

On Tuesday, the 15-member body voted on three separate draft resolutions ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...-unnews01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2264.ph0ao0037n.231h
 
Syria

U.S., British and French forces pounded Syria with air strikes early on Saturday in response to a poison gas attack that killed dozens of people last week, in the biggest intervention by Western powers against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
U.S. President Donald Trump announced the military action from the White House. As he spoke, explosions rocked Damascus.
British Prime Minister Theresa May and French President Emmanuel Macron said their forces had joined in the attack.
With more than 100 missiles fired from ships and manned aircraft, the allies struck three of Syria’s main chemical weapons facilities, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford said.

Mattis called the strikes a “one time shot,” but Trump raised the prospect of further strikes if Assad’s government again uses chemical weapons.
“We are prepared to sustain this response until the Syrian regime stops its use of prohibited chemical agents,” the U.S. president said in a televised address.
The Syrian conflict pits a complex myriad of parties against each other with Russia and Iran giving Assad military and political help while fractured opposition forces have had varying levels of support at different times from the West, Arab states and Turkey.
The strikes risked raising tension in an already combustible region but appeared designed not to trigger a military response from Russia and Iran.

more here=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...BN1HJ0ZS?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=Social
 
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And so the misinformation campaign begins mil-smile08

Russia claims Syria’s air defences shot down 71 of the 103 missiles fired by the US, UK & France
https://twitter.com/search?q=syria+missiles+shot+down&ref_src=twsrc^google|twcamp^serp|twgr^search

This is laughable and is not backed up by any reliable evidence I say a BS Bot has been posting this S**t.

They say they downed 68.9% of all fast moving missiles launched and yet after downing one Israeli Jet earlier this year they could not take down one single aircraft of the second wave of F16's the Israeli jets sent.


cGbdeB87laSv-q1G.jpg
 
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This is laughable and is not backed up by any reliable evidence I say a BS Bot has been posting this S**t.

They say they downed 68.9% of all fast moving missiles launched and yet after downing one Israeli Jet earlier this year they could not take down one single aircraft of the second wave of F16's the Israeli jets sent.

Exactly.. they claim they shot down 71 missiles..but could not hit the much larger target on radar of Tornado's, F-16 Fighting Falcons and B-2 Spirit? Amazing!!..pure nonsense.

And why didn't the Russian battery's of S-300 & S-400 attack incoming aircraft???
 
Exactly.. they claim they shot down 71 missiles..but could not hit the much larger target on radar of Tornado's, F-16 Fighting Falcons and B-2 Spirit? Amazing!!..pure nonsense.

And why didn't the Russian battery's of S-300 & S-400 attack incoming aircraft???

The official line from Kremlin is that "the missiles and aircraft didn't cross into areas under control of the Russian Armed Forces". In other words, "American pansies were too scared to engage us". ;)
 
Exactly.. they claim they shot down 71 missiles..but could not hit the much larger target on radar of Tornado's, F-16 Fighting Falcons and B-2 Spirit? Amazing!!..pure nonsense.

And why didn't the Russian battery's of S-300 & S-400 attack incoming aircraft???
Russia has vowed to defend Syria. So far they have either been unwilling or unable to. Also, all 40 Syrian SAMs were fired after US missiles hit their targets.
 
Syria Conflict Explained: How Did We Get Here?
President Trump announced Friday evening that he ordered precision missile strikes against the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar Assad in a coordinated attack with the United Kingdom and French allies.

A U.S. strike will be designed to punish Assad, but it probably won’t alter the balance of power in Syria, where a civil war has entered its eighth year and shows no sign of ending.

The conflict that began as a peaceful uprising against Assad’s regime escalated into a full-scale civil war that is now one of this century’s deadliest.
Along the way, the Syrian conflict allowed Islamic State extremists to flourish, created the world’s worst refugee crisis since World War II and exacerbated an international power struggle.

After seven years of relentless bloodshed, here is a recap of the crisis: MORE WITH MULTIPLE VIDEOS
https://americansecuritytoday.com/syria-conflict-explained-get-learn-multi-videos/


US Warns of New Syrian Attack if Chemical Weapons Used Again
By Ken Bredemeier April 15, 2018

Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday that the U.S. would launch new missile strikes against his regime if he carries out another chemical weapons attack.

Haley told Fox News, "If Assad doesn't get it" after Saturday's barrage of 105 missiles fired by the U.S., Britain and France at three Syrian chemical weapons facilities, "it's going to hurt. There will be more. We can't allow even the smallest use of chemical weapons."

She said that it is "entirely up to Assad" whether the missile attack on Syria was a one-time response to the suspected chemical attack by Syrian forces a week ago that killed more than 40 people or part of a continuing allied ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/syria/2018/syria-180415-voa02.htm?_m=3n.002a.2266.ph0ao0037n.233q
 
Syrians Gather In Capital In Defiance After Airstrikes

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Hundreds of Syrians gathered at landmark squares in the Syrian capital Saturday, honking their car horns, flashing victory signs and waving Syrian flags in scenes of defiance that followed unprecedented joint airstrikes by the United States, France and Britain.

A few hours earlier, before sunrise, loud explosions jolted Damascus and the sky turned orange as Syrian air defense units fired surface-to-air missiles in response to three waves of military strikes meant to punish President Bashar Assad for his alleged use of chemical weapons.

Associated Press reporters saw smoke rising from east Damascus and what appeared to be a fire light up the sky. From a distance, U.S. missiles hitting suburbs of the capital sounded like thunder. Shortly after the one-hour attack ended, vehicles with loudspeakers roamed the streets of Damascus blaring nationalist songs.

“Good souls will not be humiliated,” Syria’s presidency tweeted after the airstrikes began.

Immediately after the attack, hundreds of residents began gathering in the landmark Omayyad square of the Syrian capital. Many waved Syrian, Russian and Iranian flags. Some clapped their hands and danced, other drove in convoys, honking their horns in defiance.

“We are your men, Bashar,” they shouted. ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/syri...nce-after-airstrikes&utm_campaign=20180416IHS
 
An After action Review of the air Strikes (Like what I did there TAARB boys)

Him Shinshar chemical weapons storage site

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Him Shinshar chemical weapons bunker

before 2.jpg
after 2.jpg
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Barzah research and development centre Damascus

before 3.jpg
after 3.jpg
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Trump Dismisses Russia Claims Syria Successfully Shot Down US Missiles
U.S. President Donald Trump and Pentagon officials are dismissing Russian claims that Syrian air defense systems took out most of the cruise missiles aimed at three of the country's critical chemical weapons sites.

Russian news outlets Monday quoted the Russian Defense Ministry as saying Syria's Pantsir-S1 was nearly 100-percent effective in repelling the U.S.-led airstrikes early Saturday.

Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the Pantsir system launched 112 surface-to-air missiles, shooting down 71 of 103 U.S., British and French cruise missiles ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/mili...416-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2267.ph0ao0037n.234x


Britain's Theresa May Says Airstrikes on Syria in British National Interest
British Prime Minister Theresa May invoked the recent poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter in defending her decision to order British warplanes to take part in U.S.-led strikes against Syria without first seeking parliamentary approval.

She told a packed House of Commons that it was in the "national interest" to prevent future chemical attacks "within Syria, on the streets of the U.K. or elsewhere." And she dismissed critics' arguments that she was obeying U.S. instructions.

"We have not done this action because President Trump asked us," she said. "We have done this because it was the right thing to do."

She added, "This was not about intervening in a civil war, nor about regime change." The aim, May said, was to degrade Syria's chemical weapons stockpile with "limited, targeted and effective strikes" while guarding against triggering ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...416-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2267.ph0ao0037n.2352


Chemical-Weapons Inspectors Kept From Syria's Douma
Chemical-weapons inspectors have not yet been granted access to the site of a suspected gas attack in the Syrian town of Douma, the head of the global chemical-weapons watchdog said.

"The team has not yet deployed to Douma," Ahmet Uzumcu, director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), said on April 16.

Uzumcu told an emergency meeting of the organization in The Hague that Russian and Syrian officials have informed the OPCW team that there were "still pending security issues to be worked out before any deployment could take place."

The suspected attack in Douma, outside Damascus, in which the World Health Organization has said 43 people who died suffered "symptoms consistent with exposure to highly toxic chemicals," occurred on April 7. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...6-rferl01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2267.ph0ao0037n.2357




The United States, Britain, and France launched air strikes against Syrian government facilities on April 14 in response.
 
Saudi, UAE recruiting 1000s of African mercenaries: Report
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are reportedly recruiting thousands of African mercenaries to serve in their military adventurism overseas, including the bloody war on Yemen.

Saudi sources told the al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper that the kingdom is likely using Chadian mercenaries in its operations abroad.

They said the speculation had gained more credence after Chad's President Idriss Déby traveled to Saudi Arabia earlier in the month to observe the Joint [Persian] Gulf Shield-1 military drills in the eastern Saudi city of Jubail.

The kingdom has signed secret agreements with N'Djamena, enabling its enlistment of thousands of Chadian mercenaries, according to the sources.

The UAE is, meanwhile, seeking to recruit thousands of mercenaries from Uganda to deploy in Yemen and Somalia, Yemen's al-Masirah television network reported, citing Arabic media outlets.

The Emirates is Saudi Arabia's most senior partner in the war on Yemen, which has been raging since March 2015 to return the impoverished country's Riyadh-allied former government ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/mili...presstv05.htm?_m=3n.002a.2268.ph0ao0037n.236t


Iran Using Yemen as 'Test Bed' for Malign Activities, DoD Official Says
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2018 – Iran is exploiting the situation in Yemen, arming opponents of the internationally recognized government and using the country as a "test bed" for malign activities, a top Defense Department official told lawmakers today.

The United States, as Defense Secretary James N. Mattis has said, supports efforts for a United Nations-brokered settlement to the conflict, Robert S. Karem, assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, told a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on U.S. policy in Yemen.

The conflict, which began more than three years ago, threatens regional security and U.S. national security interests, which include the flow of commerce in the Red Sea, he said.

"Yemen has become a test bed for Iran's malign activities," he said, adding that a political solution to the conflict will "reduce the chaos that Iran has exploited to advance its malign agenda."

With support from Iran, the Houthis – a Shia group trying to take control of Yemen – have launched more than 100 ballistic missiles and "countless" rockets into Saudi Arabia directed at major population centers, international airports, military installations and oil ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/mili...17-afps02.htm?_m=3n.002a.2268.ph0ao0037n.236y
 
US State Department Claims Inspectors Not in Douma
There was confusion Tuesday whether a team of international experts had arrived in the Syrian city of Douma to determine whether chemical weapons were used in an attack there 10 days ago.

Syrian state TV and the White Helmets volunteer rescue group said separately that a fact-finding team from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons had come to Douma.

But a U.S. State Department spokeswoman contradicted those reports on Tuesday afternoon. "Our understanding is that the team has not entered Douma," Heather Nauert said.

Investigators from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons had arrived in Syria on Saturday, the day that the U.S., Britain and France launched missiles targeting Syrian chemical weapons facilities. But the inspectors had not initially been allowed to go to Douma, near Damascus, to try to verify the nature of the suspected gas attack on April 7. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...417-voa01.htm?_m=3n.002a.2268.ph0ao0037n.236e


Saudi Arabia Ready to Send Troops to Syria if Proposed - Foreign Minister
During its latest summit, the League of Arab States has called for an international investigation into the alleged chemical weapons' use in Syria and slammed what it described as Iran's meddling in the affairs of other countries.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Monday that Riyadh is willing to send troops to Syria as part of a wider international coalition if it receives a proposal to do so, as cited by Saudi State TV.

"We've been discussing sending forces from the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition to Syria," the minister said at the joint press conference with UN Secretary-General António Guterres after a meeting in Riyadh.

This comes as on Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the US administration was considering replacing US troops in Syria with the forces of the Arab countries to stabilize the situation in country's northeast after the defeat of Daesh. US National Security Adviser John Bolton reportedly contacted Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel to discuss the matter ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...sputnik04.htm?_m=3n.002a.2268.ph0ao0037n.236j


Russia to consider S-300 delivery to Syria after West attack: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow will consider delivering S-300 air defense systems to Damascus following the recent strikes against Syria by three Western powers.

"Several years ago we decided not to supply S-300 systems to Syria at our partners' request. Now, we will consider options to ensure the Syrian state's security after this outrageous act of aggression from the United States, France and Great Britain," Lavrov told the BBC on Tuesday.

Lavrov noted that Moscow will consider "any means" to assist Damascus to counter further aggression.

On Saturday, tripartite strikes by the US, Britain and France hit three sites in Syria, one in Damascus, and two in the city of Homs, which US President Donald Trump claimed were "associated with the chemical weapon capabilities" of the Syrian government.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Syrian army shot down 71 out of the 103 missiles fired during the attack, using Russian-made air defense systems, including S-125, S-200, as well as Buk and Kvadrat units. ...MORE

https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/...presstv04.htm?_m=3n.002a.2268.ph0ao0037n.236o
 
Despite Chemical Attack and Bombing, Situation in Syria Remains Unchanged
Last weekend, the U.S., France and the U.K. carried out a series of military strikes in Syria designed to destroy or at least diminish Syria’s ability to use chemical weapons. This military action was taken in response to the chemical attack on the civilian residents of Douma that occurred a week ago.

Syria’s ruling regime has sought to regain control over Douma for years, but the rebel-held city has held out despite severe bombardment. After the chemical attack, Jaish al-Islam, an anti-Assad militant group that has operated around Douma for years, agreed to a deal with the Assad government.

The militants specifically cited the chemical attack as their impetus for the agreement. They surrendered their weapons in exchange for a withdrawal to northern Syria.

Invariably, there have been questions about the chemical attack. Russia and Iran claim that the attack never took place or was actually a false flag operation by the West and the rebel groups. ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/desp...ia-remains-unchanged&utm_campaign=20180418IHS


Military Action and the Long-Term Strategy for the US in Syria
For the second time in a year, President Trump took military action to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for his use of chemical weapons against his own people. However, the U.S.’s long-term strategy for moving forward in Syria remains unclear.

The Trump administration is recalibrating Syrian policy as it relates to Assad’s use of chemical weapons. However, Trump should be mindful of what Winston Churchill once said: “Never, never, never believe any war will be smooth and easy, or that anyone who embarks on the strange voyage can measure the tides and hurricanes he will encounter. The statesman who yields to war fever must realize that once the signal is given, he is no longer the master of policy but the slave of unforeseeable and uncontrollable events.”

Army General David Petraeus posed a question when he commanded the 101st Airborne Division in early 2003: “How does this war end?” For the past 15 years, the U.S. is no closer to the answer in Iraq, let alone Syria.

Historically, the U.S. has pursued a strategy of winning by military means. However, U.S. government ...MORE

https://inhomelandsecurity.com/mili...-for-the-us-in-syria&utm_campaign=20180418IHS
 
Syria:

The USAF has fired Lockheed Martin's AGM-158B Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range (JASSM-ER) missile in combat for the first time.

19 such missiles were launched from two B-1B Lancer bombers during last weekend's sortie against Syrian chemical weapon research and storage facilities, and were joined by 57 Tomahawk missiles launched from US naval assets, as well as Storm Shadow and SCALP missiles from British and French warplanes.

While Russian sources in Syria claim that Russian and Syrian air defences managed to down 71 or the total 105 cruise missiles launched during the Friday night operation—claims Washington refutes—a report on the mission by the Aviationist reckon the newer missiles—in particular the JASSM-ER, SCALP and Storm Shadow—would have been highly effective against their targets.

Despite the geo-political posturing, the $1.3 million per unit JASSM-ER has now officially debuted with potential buyers of the missile, like Japan, getting a preview of its capabilities.
 
More than 300 sentenced to death in Iraq for IS links
Iraqi courts have sentenced to death a total of more than 300 people, including dozens of foreigners, for belonging to the Islamic State group, judicial sources said Wednesday.

The suspects are being tried by two courts, one near the former jihadist stronghold of Mosul in northern Iraq and another in Baghdad which is dealing notably with foreigners and women.

Since January in the capital, 103 foreign nationals have been condemned to death -- including six Turks sentenced on Wednesday -- and 185 to life in prison, according to a judicial source.

Most of the women sentenced were from Turkey and republics of the former Soviet Union.

In January, an Iraqi court condemned a German woman to death after finding her guilty of belonging to IS while on Tuesday a French woman was sentenced to life in prison.

At the court In Tel Keif near Mosul, 212 people have been sentenced to death, 150 to life in prison and 341 to other jails terms, Supreme Judicial Council spokesman Abdel Sattar Bayraqdar said in a statement.

"It has been proven that they carried out criminal actions at public hearings conducted in accordance with the law during which the convicts' rights were guaranteed," he said.

Iraq declared victory in December against IS -- also known as ISIS -- which at one point controlled a third of the country.

On Monday the justice ministry said 11 people convicted of terrorism-related charges had been executed in Iraq, which according to New York-based Human Rights Watch is the world's number four executioner.

"These executions follow rushed trials of ISIS suspects which are riddled with due process violations, including convictions based solely on confessions which are sometimes extracted by torture," said HRW senior Iraq researcher Belkis Wille.

"Iraq's mishandling of the ISIS trials not only denies victims real justice, but also risks sending innocent Iraqis to their deaths."
https://au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/39938248/more-than-300-sentenced-to-death-in-iraq-for-is-links/
 
I imagine the Iraqi's are so tired of war and the ISIS scourge they are to the point of "Kill em all and let Allah sort them out" I am sure a few innocents will be caught in the net, but to normal (non-Muslim) wann-a-bees it would be a hell of a deterrent...maybe

Frontier justice is NOT without its rewards...the amount of time and money wasted in the US psychoanalyzing and making cult hero's out of our malcontents, just so we can justify their bad behavior would equal or surpass most small country's GNP.

When they tackle you with the gun in your hand- hang them from the nearest stop light until they become a health hazard and the next fool might think twice. Who gives a rip their daddy kicked their puppy when they were 4 years old causing him to act out his aggression by shooting up a mall...

We don't though.. we paste their pathetic pimple face mug all over the internet and make them famous, pay millions of dollars in tax payer funded legal and medical fees for them, (hell we'll even pay for a sex change for them after being convicted for treason) and house them until they can sell their movie rights and get the book deal... Not much of a deterrent...I need a drink
 
Russia, Syria 'sanitise' chemical site: US
The United States says it has credible information that Russia and Syria are trying to "sanitise" the site of a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria while denying access to the area by international inspectors, the State Department says.

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the team of inspectors from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) had not been given access to the site of the alleged attack in the town of Douma on April 7.

"We have credible information that indicates that Russian officials are working with the Syrian regime to deny and to delay these inspectors from gaining access to Douma," Nauert told a news briefing.

"Russian officials have worked with the Syrian regime, we believe, to sanitise the locations of the suspected attacks and remove incriminating evidence of chemical weapons use," she added.

While repeating that Syria was responsible for the attacks, Nauert also said the United States had credible information that "people on the ground have been pressured by both Russia and Syria to try to change their stories."

Western countries say scores of people were gassed to death in the attack. Russia and its ally deny that.

A UN security team came under fire in Syria on Wednesday while doing reconnaissance for inspectors to visit the sites of the suspected attack.

The United States, Britain and France fired missiles at Syrian targets on Saturday in retaliation for the suspected chemical use.

Nauert said the United States worried that the evidence would "deteriorate" the longer the inspectors were delayed.

"That is of great concern to us," she said.

https://www.theaustralian.com.au/ne...s/news-story/1b107750c47b1a53b2d199d68ce84f7d
 

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