Thread: Syria: Hundreds Killed in Gas Attack

More than 200 people have been killed in an alleged chemical weapons attack near Damascus, say Sky News sources.
Activists claim "toxic gas" was used by President Bashar al Assad's forces during a bombardment of rebel-held areas outside the Syrian capital.
The government says the claims are "totally false" and the international news organisations reporting them are "implicated in the shedding of Syrian blood and support terrorism".
Sky sources said at least 200 people were killed in the shelling in Zamalka and Ein Tarma, but could not verify whether chemical weapons were used.
It comes three days after a 20-strong team of UN weapons inspectors arrived in Damascus to investigate whether chemical weapons have been used in the conflict.
Mohammed Saeed, an activist in the area, said hundreds of dead and injured have been taken to six make-shift hospitals in the eastern suburbs of Damascus.
"This is a massacre by chemical weapons," he said via Skype. "The visit by the UN team is a joke...Bashar is using the weapons and telling the world that he does not care."
Opposition groups said government forces had fired "rockets with poisonous gas heads" in the attack.
Videos posted on YouTube by activists show children being treated in make-shift hospitals. Some are having convulsions and have difficulty breathing. Others are not moving.
Sky News cannot authenticate the footage.
"Regime forces after midnight stepped up military operations in the East Ghouta and West Ghouta zones of the Damascus region with aircraft and rocket launchers, causing several dozen dead and wounded," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The Local Co-ordination Committees, another Syrian pro-opposition group, said hundreds of people were killed or injured in the "brutal use of toxic gas by the criminal regime in parts of Western Ghouta".
Videos claiming to show the shelling were posted on YouTube by the Syrian Revolution General Commission, another activist group.
They showed what it called "a terrible massacre committed by regime forces with toxic gas, leaving dozens of martyrs and wounded".
Both the rebels and government forces have accused each other of using chemical weapons in the conflict, which began in March 2011 and has killed more than 100,000 people.
The UN team is investigating three sites where chemical weapons have allegedly been used: the village of Khan al Assal, just west of the northern city of Aleppo, and two other locations, which are being kept secret for security reasons.
If confirmed, this alleged chemical attack would be the most serious since the incident in Khan al Assal on March 19, when at least 30 people were killed.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK would be raising the incident at the UN Security Council.
"I am deeply concerned by reports that hundreds of people, including children, have been killed in airstrikes and a chemical weapons attack on rebel-held areas near Damascus," he said.
"These reports are uncorroborated and we are urgently seeking more information. But it is clear that if they are verified, it would mark a shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
"Those who order the use of chemical weapons, and those who use them, should be in no doubt that we will work in every way we can to hold them to account.
"I call on the Syrian Government to allow immediate access to the area for the UN team currently investigating previous allegations of chemical weapons use."

Sky News : Syria: Hundreds Killed In 'Gas Attack'

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

have been killed in airstrikes and a chemical weapons attack on rebel-held areas near Damascus," he said.
"These reports are uncorroborated and we are urgently seeking more information. But it is clear that

so he links or seems to link the chemical weapons with air strikes.
my money is on the so-called rebels themselves
just as they did with Marie Colvin,, being a woman in a 'mans' fight
desperados for publicity. desperate for the western big guns to get involved.
Can they prove that it wasn't Assad's forces ?

The rebels have claimed this stuff before and its turned out to be BS. The Russians are saying that rebel forces fired a rocket full of chemicals into the place,so who to believe? I think there is a good chance that a section of the rebels did it themselves to get the UN and NATO involved in a fight that they are losing, nothing they would like better than a no fly zone over Syria...which just means they want the west to act as their airforce like in Libya..

If Assas thinks it will work, he'll use the gas. Or, his back is against the wall.

True, the allegations by the opposition need to be corroborated.

Originally Posted by Primo

The rebels have claimed this stuff before and its turned out to be BS. The Russians are saying that rebel forces fired a rocket full of chemicals into the place,so who to believe? I think there is a good chance that a section of the rebels did it themselves to get the UN and NATO involved in a fight that they are losing, nothing they would like better than a no fly zone over Syria...which just means they want the west to act as their airforce like in Libya..

Yes, but that's only because you have a pathological hatred of America, let's face it.

And they haven't even got involved in this conflict bar a few diplomatic tantrums.

Let's face it, it's Sunni against Shi'a and the big boys are sat in the corner stitching up the cuts and sending their boys out for more.

I bet the Russians are selling Qatar weapons to send to the rebels.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by Primo

The rebels have claimed this stuff before and its turned out to be BS. The Russians are saying that rebel forces fired a rocket full of chemicals into the place,so who to believe? I think there is a good chance that a section of the rebels did it themselves to get the UN and NATO involved in a fight that they are losing, nothing they would like better than a no fly zone over Syria...which just means they want the west to act as their airforce like in Libya..

Yes, but that's only because you have a pathological hatred of America, let's face it.

And they haven't even got involved in this conflict bar a few diplomatic tantrums.

Not sure what this has to do with what I have written, seems nothing at all but I will answer your observations.You claim America is not involved in the Syrian war but anybody who has read anything about it would know that you are wrong as usual. America has been training rebels in Jordan for a long time,it has supplied them with equipment and is now arming them. I suggest you get up to date before posting more rubbish. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Primo

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by Primo

The rebels have claimed this stuff before and its turned out to be BS. The Russians are saying that rebel forces fired a rocket full of chemicals into the place,so who to believe? I think there is a good chance that a section of the rebels did it themselves to get the UN and NATO involved in a fight that they are losing, nothing they would like better than a no fly zone over Syria...which just means they want the west to act as their airforce like in Libya..

Yes, but that's only because you have a pathological hatred of America, let's face it.

And they haven't even got involved in this conflict bar a few diplomatic tantrums.

Not sure what this has to do with what I have written, seems nothing at all but I will answer your observations.You claim America is not involved in the Syrian war but anybody who has read anything about it would know that you are wrong as usual. America has been training rebels in Jordan for a long time,it has supplied them with equipment and is now arming them. I suggest you get up to date before posting more rubbish. Thanks.

Would it be ok of me to ask you for evidence?

Have you ever been to Jordan or Syria?

Can you tell me who is doing the training?

And what equipment they've supplied?

Only:

August 17, 2013, 5:00 a.m.
WASHINGTON — More than two months after they were promised, U.S. weapons and ammunition have not reached America's allies among the Syrian rebels, and their delivery date remains unclear, according to the Syrian opposition and Middle Eastern diplomats.

Khalid Saleh, an official of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, said in a telephone interview from Turkey that, while U.S. officials continue to promise arms, "nothing has come through yet, and we haven't been given a specific date when we'll see them." The rebels, who have been pressing for months for anti-tank and antiaircraft weapons, have still not been told what kind of military aid they will receive, he said.

U.S. has yet to deliver arms to Syria rebels - latimes.com

Do you make this shit up as you go along?

I'm still waiting for your answer as to who was behind last year's failed Bangkok terrorist attack, and why.

Perhaps you can answer both sets of questions.

I'm just dying to hear your (fairy) stories.

Tragic for the victims,has anyone named a single one.If a thousand Israelis or Americans had suffered as at 9/11 we would have had 24/7 coverage but these are poor brown people

There is no evidence yet that chemical weapons were used, it's possible a chemical plant was blown up unintentionally by shelling, and ammonia or so escaped. If it was chemical weapons, they might have been used by 3 parties. 1. on order of Assad. 2. on independent order of one of Assad's commanders, who faced the firing squad by now. 3. by the terrorists, it's known they captured stockpiles of chemical weapons from Assad's arsenal.

[QUOTE=Primo;2541551]

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Now I am sure you will be back again and again with some silly half assed argument but as everyone can see you were wrong. lol

Everyone can see three links from you dated earlier this year, none of which mention the delivery of hardware, and from the post you answered, one more from 5 days ago where the rebels complain about not actually getting any weapons.

I think "everyone" can decide for themselves.

It's hard to win arguments when you have no real experience of the subject matter and rely solely on frantic web surfing.

And I see you continue to avoid answering the "difficult" question of whom carried out the Bangkok attack and why.

Really not much point in debating anything with you, you have no educated opinion of your own and you rely on feeble attempts at badgering people with crap web links in an attempt at winning your side of an argument - which is quite funny as you don't actually have one other than that you hate America.

B O R I N G.

An Arab viewpoint. They also seem to think the proxies fighting this war are happy to just let them get on with it. Not much to cheer for the Syrian people here, especially since young Assad eclipsed his fathers body count a long time ago.

Debate: The West never stood with the Syrian opposition
From the time it came to power in Syria in a military coup on March 8, 1963, the pan-Arab Ba’ath party has endeavored to alter the social makeup of Syria. The authorities put Syrians under pressure, prompting many to leave the country, while others were assassinated and many jailed. As the years passed, the Ba’athist regime deliberately obliterated the patriotic figures who had made enormous sacrifices for Syria.

Under the guise of the Ba’ath Party, Hafez Al-Assad—in cooperation with some family members and colleagues from the Military Committee, which was established in Cairo in the brief period when Egypt and Syria were united—ruled Syria from 1967. At the time, Hafez Al-Assad planned to liquidate anyone who opposed him or who could have posed a threat. He, along with his immediate family, monopolized power and inflicted the worst kinds of oppression. They also adopted a carrot-and-stick strategy to persuade the corrupt among Syria’s citizens to follow Hafez. What’s more, Assad found in the Alawite sect a strategic space in which he could achieve his evil ends.

Assad based his rule on two principles: corruption and security. Assad encouraged all state officials to be involved in corruption, starting an era of bribery that engulfed the entire pyramid of power down to minor officials—even janitors. Corruption and bribery spread to all sectors, including the judiciary, education and the military. He also gave the security apparatuses a free hand to do whatever they wanted and to commit all sorts of violations, provided that he remained in power. Thus, the interests of the security services and the corrupt intertwined. Assad also recruited large numbers of Alawites as agents in the security services and commanders of the military, as well as minor officials in government directorates. In fact, the entire nursing profession was dominated by Alawites.

These practices threw the Syrian street into turmoil and protests were staged here and there, particularly in the workers’ union from 1978 to 1980, after which the union was dissolved and its members jailed. Later, the Hama massacre of 1982 created 48,000 martyrs, with more than 15,000 killed in the Tadmor and Mezzeh prisons. Massacres were also carried out in Aleppo and Jisr Al-Shughur, among other places. There were 70,000 people missing, though they remain registered alive at the Civil Status Department even today. Thousands of houses were confiscated on the pretext that they belonged to members of the Muslim Brotherhood, and a quarter of a million Syrians was forced to leave the country; to this day they have not been able to return. All of these events took place between 1980 and 1990, and troubled nobody outside the country.

Contrary to the constitution (which was hastily changed to allow his takeover), Bashar Al-Assad succeeded his father as the president, with the West—particularly the US—giving this hereditary handover their blessing. All sides treated the young leader of Syria with utmost generosity, and he was supported and embraced in the Arab region and the entire world. In contrast, ordinary Syrians groaned under the weight of poverty and unemployment. The authorities controlled 85 percent of the national income, leaving 30 percent of people out of work and 60 percent of Syrians below the poverty line.

Authorities dominated all social and political aspects of life, jailing thousands of citizens for their opinions. I was among them. Public turmoil grew, and in March 2011 the public erupted with modest demands for freedom, dignity and reform. Authorities turned a deaf ear to the voice of the people. During the first six months of protests 5,000 martyrs fell and public freedoms were violated by the security services, who wreaked havoc on people’s homes and emptied water reservoirs. The authorities had started a war against the people, and the world did not act to stop the bloodshed in Syria.

Bashar Al-Assad later deployed 3,000 tanks to confront the revolution, using all sorts of weapons, from planes and warships to rockets and chemical weapons. The death toll among civilians exceeded 125,000 and 2 million Syrians fled the country, with another 8 million internally displaced.

Without going into unnecessary detail, so far the Syrian revolution remains without real allies. No-one in the world is willing to lend a hand. Everyone is discussing whether or not to provide military and humanitarian aid. After being the most outspoken among EU countries about providing arms, France and Britain changed their minds.

In my opinion, everything happening in the corridors of the international community, from the US to Europe, falls into the category of leaving the Syrians to fight with Iran—which has fielded 60,000 fighters from the Revolutionary Guards, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and Iraqi Shi’ites—until they exhaust one another. In the meantime, the West finds pretexts to refrain from arming the rebels. At the top of these pretexts is the presence of radical elements such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and the Al-Nusra Front, as well as the use of chemical weapons.

The West resorts to these pretexts to refrain from arming the rebels, ignoring the daily bloodletting of Syrians. This is despite the fact that everyone used to talk about providing aid of all sorts, particularly at the meeting of the Friends of Syria in Marrakesh.

Even humanitarian aid falls short of what is needed. All the steps taken so far have not only disappointed Syrians, but have also conspired against them. Syrians have realized this, prompting them to say: “We only have God to turn to.”

Debate: The Syrian opposition cannot rely on anyone but themselves | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT

Originally Posted by Primo

it was not clear whether the Americans worked for private firms or were from the army

difficult to comprehend ?

Americans doth not equal USA government forces....

Originally Posted by david44

Tragic for the victims,has anyone named a single one.If a thousand Israelis or Americans had suffered as at 9/11 we would have had 24/7 coverage but these are poor brown people

there it is , game set and match

Sadly .

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by Primo

Now I am sure you will be back again and again with some silly half assed argument but as everyone can see you were wrong. lol

Everyone can see three links from you dated earlier this year, none of which mention the delivery of hardware, and from the post you answered, one more from 5 days ago where the rebels complain about not actually getting any weapons.

Your claim was that the Americans were not involved in the Syrian war. You were proven wrong as usual but still come back with the same nonsense because you are not a big enough man to admit when you are wrong, sad really but true. So I refer you to my previous post which says it all really..it says you were wrong.

https://teakdoor.com/world-news/13168...ml#post2541551

Your previous post talking about all the equipment that America's given Syria, when both parties openly acknowledge that they have yet to provide any?

Ah OK, that one.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Originally Posted by Primo

it was not clear whether the Americans worked for private firms or were from the army

difficult to comprehend ?

Americans doth not equal USA government forces....

BEIRUT, March 14 (Reuters) - Most of the first contingent of Syrian rebels taught by U.S. army and intelligence officers in Jordan to use anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry have finished their training and are now returning to Syria to fight, a senior rebel said on Thursday.

Western officials and Syrian rebel commanders declined to comment on reports in the German weekly Der Spiegel and other media outlets last week that said Americans were training anti-government Syrian forces in Jordan.

But a senior rebel commander close to the process said U.S. army and intelligence officers were training Syrian rebels and said most of the first batch of 300 fighters picked from southern Syria had finished their courses.

"This is a sensitive matter as you know, but yes the American army and intelligence are training some of the rebels," he told Reuters on condition of anonymity.

U.S. Army Training Syria Rebels? Opposition Command Says First Fighters Are Returning To Syria

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Your previous post talking about all the equipment that America's given Syria, when both parties openly acknowledge that they have yet to provide any?

Ah OK, that one.

My previous post shows that your claim that the Americans are not involved in the war in Syria is wrong, get that harry ? You are wrong, everyone can see you are wrong but you will not own up to being wrong, which makes your posts a joke. So again I refer you to my previous post which shows you are wrong.
https://teakdoor.com/world-news/13168...ml#post2541551

OK, my point proven..I will leave you to it...

Meanwhile, over the border....

At least nine people were killed, and 40 were wounded in two bombing attacks in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli Friday afternoon, according to eyewitness reports in the Lebanese media.

According to the Lebanese Future TV, the bodies were being transported to a hospital in the city. Security sources said the death toll is expected to rise sharply.

The blasts occurred outside two mosques as Friday prayers ended. The Lebanese Daily Star newspaper reported that the attacks occurred minutes apart. The two mosques reportedly hit were the Taqwa Mosque and the Salam Mosque.

Medics and police were rushed to the scenes, and the security forces have cordoned off the areas.

The blasts come amid rising tension in Lebanon resulting from Syria’s civil war, which has sharply polarized the country along sectarian lines and between supporters and opponents of the regime of President Bashar Assad.

A little game of spot the difference.

Originally Posted by Primo

America has been training rebels in Jordan for a long time,it has supplied them with equipment and is now arming them.

August 17, 2013, 5:00 a.m.
WASHINGTON — More than two months after they were promised, U.S. weapons and ammunition have not reached America's allies among the Syrian rebels, and their delivery date remains unclear, according to the Syrian opposition and Middle Eastern diplomats.

Did they suddenly arm them this week, if so please provide the intel.

Here's Primo's hero solving the case:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=kPzvy808pr8

MSF confirms Syria 'chemical deaths'



Medecins Sans Frontieres says it has treated about 3,600 patients with "neurotoxic symptoms" in Syria, of whom 355 have died.

It said the patients had arrived in three hospitals it supports in the Damascus governorate on 21 August - when opposition activists say chemical attacks were launched against rebels.

It appears to be the first confirmation that chemical weapons were used.

Western countries have accused the government. Damascus accuses rebels

www.bbc.co.uk