April 4th, 2017: One of the deadliest chemical attacks struck the Syrian town Khan Sheikhun. According to The Washington Post, the weapons allegedly contained a poisonous nerve gas which killed over fifty civilians and injured hundreds more. The effects of this toxin correlated to the symptoms the victims suffered, such as seizures and foaming in the mouth. The Syrian government released a statement claiming they did not conduct the attack and went on to blame it on rebel groups. The qualm with this statement is that only the government would have access to such weapons.
April 7th, 2017: In response to the chemical attack, U.S. President Trump ordered the U.S. military to conduct a missile strike on a Syrian airbase. 59 missiles were fired on the Shayrat airbase, located in central Syria. Trump’s order was met with much criticism, which he justified in a White House press conference as, “.… a vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.”
April 13, 2017: According to BBC, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad claimed the reports of an attack on Khan Sheikhun were, “100 percent fabrication.” Assad blames the West for the uproar, claiming that the attack would be a plausible excuse for airstrikes on the Shayrat airbase, “It’s stage one, the play [they staged] that we saw on social network and TVs, then propaganda and then stage two, the military attack” (BBC).
The chemical attack has been met with opposition from intergovernmental organizations such as the United Nations (UN). According to CNN, the UN Security Council attempted to pass a resolution which would condemn the attack. Russia vetoed the resolution and it did not pass, which is not a surprise considering the efforts Russia has made to keep Assad in power. The White House has also continued to defend the airstrike, especially seen in White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s incorrect claim that Adolf Hitler, “…didn’t even sink to using chemical weapons” (Time).
What are your thoughts about the ongoing conflict in Syria and the international response?