Trump says there will be 'big price to pay' for Syria chemical attack

Since when is tweeting about it “reacting strongly”?

This is terrible. The child in the photo looks just like my son. Oh god.

Trump won’t do anything that will have much of an impact.

The Russians borrowing a phrase from Trump, "fake news".

Still, the deaths are not fake, and someone is responsible and that is not fake.

Advice to T-boss: Don't do anything until you get the facts straight. Just look at that WMD circus that got us into Iraq. The rebels could have staged this in a desperate attempt to get the U.S. sucked into this further.

And even if it is proven that Assad authorized the attack, get the U.N. involved. Don't go shooting cruise missiles and have Syria's and Russia's ire directed squarely at the U.S.

“What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?”

― Mahatma Gandhi

No matter who you believe is responsible for the chemical weapons attacks, who actually believes that average Syrian civilians are better off since being invaded by soo many countries claiming they only want to liberate or stop the atrocities?

All countries involved, place their own interest well before that of the people of Syria!

If chemical weapons were used in pro-Assad areas, would people here be talking about Assad using them as a false flag? Is stuff like that an automatic now?

And to me, yeah, there is a difference between chemical and conventional weapons. With chemical weapons there is no control. At least you can point a gun or target with a missile but you can’t release a chemical weapon and direct it just to a military target.

The Syrian people are in a no win situation with ISIS on one side and Assad backed by Russia on the other side.

Oh, and then we have Trump the wise throwing in his carnival barker's advice. Trump's criticisms of Obama have come full circle to hypocrisy.

“Only Trump can criticize Obama for giving Assad a green light to commit atrocities in Syria while giving Assad a green light to commit atrocities in Syria, The height of hypocrisy.” Josh Rogin.

Aly, there are plenty of Syrians disagree with you.

There are FAR more that agree with me

Trump blamed this attack on Obama

He did not blame the attack on Obama, he tweeted "If President Obama had crossed his stated Red Line In The Sand, the Syrian disaster would have ended long ago!

The last time the US intervened was to bomb an airfield in Al Shayrat, where a previous chemical attack was launched from.

Trump doesn't like chemical attacks, which is understandable. It's a horrible form of warfare. Like the IDF attacks on Palestine, or Russian use of chemical weapons most recently (possibly) in the UK and elsewhere.

so whats Trump going to do , send in another wave of cruise missiles? Syria is a lost cause, US will never get Russia out of Syria and while Russia is there Assad or another Russian puppet will be there in power.

@zubrach

I know that, and I know the rebel faction have their fair share of war crimes.

But I don't get the "this doesn't makes sense" argument. The Syrian regime continuing what it did all along makes a lot more sense than a "false flag attack" with almost zero chance to change anything, and was "predicted" anyway.

As for the "who benefits from this" question, I beg to disagree. Punishment and intimidation are a part of what the syrian army does. They don't need another reason.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-syria-crisis-bulldozers/syria-army-destroys-houses-in-collective-punishment-idUSBRE8820BC20120903

As the only poster here who is half syrian and with ties to syria

@Aly ...we often agree on many topics here mate and I just wanna say its truly heartbreaking to see what the Syrian civilian population has gone through in recent years...so sorry brother.

Brother, I always agree with you. And let me tell you just how much that post of yours meant to me. So many people here to just aching to give their opinion on a country they couldn’t find on the map prior to 2011 or 2012. You’re the only one that has actually reached out with compassion. My whole father’s side of the family right now are refugees. I can tell you horror stories about what my own first and second cousins have gone through just to be safe. As the only poster who has said kind words to me with compassion all I can answer back to You is-

thank you from the bottom of my heart

Does anyone think it's a coincidence that the attack came in the same week as Trump's announcement about withdrawal.

Yeah, no one does.

Trump is an idiot.

John McCain -- who literally has nothing to lose -- agrees:

President Trump last week signaled to the world that the United States would prematurely withdraw from Syria. Bashar Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers have heard him, and emboldened by American inaction, Assad has reportedly launched another chemical attack against innocent men, women and children, this time in Douma.

Trump is an idiot.

@Aly Rustom I am truly sorry about what happened to your family and your fatherland.

Thank you so much for your kind words.

Please understand nobody here is defending Assad. Just asking logical questions that remain unanswered.

Fair enough

Believe it or not, I have also had contacts with Syrian refugees fleeing from this particular conflict and they hate both Assad and the terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra (the former Al-Qaida faction which the Western media calls "the rebels").

That’s pretty much how my family feels as well.

Your fatherland has fallen victim to foreign interests and there are no "good guys" among them.

100% correct. This conflict Won’t end anytime soon.

Be prepared for more refugees along the way. Thank you for your kind words again

So, the solution is to bomb the Syrian government for an attack that they may or may not have done.....?

Too get too upset. Assad might go running to Trump's boss.

Putin sure does deny many events. a lot of Presidents seem to be doing that nowdays.

Awww, Trump isn't to do anything without Putin's permission - guaranteed. Lob a bunch of rockets on an empty airfield again, making sure all the planes were removed beforehand? Then blame Obama for the mess - yet who launched the air and sea attack war against ISIS 4 years ago? Obama did. More evidence of Dumpster's treasonous wrongdoing keeps popping up every day and he's embarrassed about Stormy Daniels revealing that he loves to be SPANKED. He wants to send National Guard troops to the Mexican border and invent a crisis because it's been revealed that he has a 'mama's boy' complex and loves to be SPANKED. He's proven to be not so manly and studly and he's lashing out like the crybaby that he is. Spanky Don is throwing temper tantrums again because he can't handle anything in a mature manner.

Stuart Haywood

What you suggest is a possibility for sure but as far as track records go, have you already forgoten about the US's false flag of Iraq's WMD's?

Certainly haven't forgotten... the US are nearly ain't no angles either.

So, the Assad regime is used to arbitrary arrests, torture, imprisonment of journalists and bloggers, destroying cities to the ground, looting, raping etc... but the use of chemical weapons is hard to believe ?

And how exactly a supposed "false flag attack to draw the US in and that had already been discovered anyway" makes more sense ?

We're all aware that Trump criticized former president Obama for broadcasting what the U.S. military was going to do as wrong (arguably true), and now he's done the exact same thing. Trump's clear public statement regarding a desire and intent to pull out completely probably encouraged Assad, with Putin's blessing, to launch this latest chemical attack.

What Trump is subtly saying is that those who are actually responsible will pay a very heavy price, and these are the war-mongers types, under the hood the real war is underway between these war-mongers and Trump co, and so far Trump seems to be holding out.

As the only poster here who is half syrian and with ties to syria, let me say that Bintaro is 100% correct.

Trump has had over a year to fix this mess, but has utterly failed.

I don't wish to see this appalling conflict escalate. 400 thousand people wiped out and it just keeps on, with very murky players and very murky motivations.

Trump is correct when he describes Assad as an animal. Not going to disagree on that.

Marcelito

I dunno...I recall reading in news a couple of weeks ago a top Russian general saying they have inltelligence rebels are planning to stage a gas attack and blame it on pro Russian forces to get some US military support and here we are.

Could also be the Russians made it up about the intelligence to lay the blame on the rebels. I mean Russia certainly does not have a good track record.

That should read, "the US ain't no angles either".

Yes, we all remember your retaliation last time ... Assad was so devastated by it that he stepped down, and ... oops, no, actually NOTHING HAPPENED AT ALL.

@ Bintaro All the acts you mentioned, while truly horrible, can be explained (not justified, explained!) with his efforts to maintain his dictatorship. Nobody is arguing that Assad is incapable of such an act but it is also extremely naive to automatically blame him because "he is evil". I don't know how many of you have noticed that mature statesmen usually only talk about "interests" in international politics. It is only the US who uses Hollywood narratives as "good" vs "evil" (e.g. axis of evil, evil empire, etc.) and tries to simplify international politics to mobilize wider public support from an electorate the majority of whom do not even know where Syria is. If you read history you will find multiple examples proving that If interests are at stake, any state is capable of all kinds of atrocities (e.g. mutiple civilians have died so far from US drone attacks, missile attacks, etc.).

The million dollar question is always "Who benefits from this?" and it is usually a better starting point of a discussion.

I should know a few things about being a refugee and pov. Trump just wanted to pull out but got his arms twisted into staying then this happens. More justifications for the US to stay.

I remember reading a book in the 90s about the middle East and being about how the culture of absolute destruction of your enemy existed. In 1982 Assads father completely destroyed the city of Hama. He literally bombed and razed it to make a point.

Sadly it seems nowadays no one knows what to believe. Did he didn't he.

@Aly Rustom I am truly sorry about what happened to your family and your fatherland. Please understand nobody here is defending Assad. Just asking logical questions that remain unanswered. Believe it or not, I have also had contacts with Syrian refugees fleeing from this particular conflict and they hate both Assad and the terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra (the former Al-Qaida faction which the Western media calls "the rebels"). Your fatherland has fallen victim to foreign interests and there are no "good guys" among them.

It should be noted that while Aly claims to speak for the majority of Syrians while denigrating and demonizing their President, government, and military, and the politicians and media of NATO do the same thing, the EVIDENCE (opinion polls, election responses, and the huge number of Syrians who have volunteered to fight for the preservation of their government) contradicts those claims, as uncomfortable as that might be for the population of NATO who need to believe that their governments aren't the bad guys.

the EVIDENCE (opinion polls, election responses, and the huge number of Syrians who have volunteered to fight for the preservation of their government) contradicts those claims

Really? Then WHY did the Russians have to step in to save Assad's bacon? Why was Hezbollah AND the Iranian republican guard alongside Assad's army together incapable of defeating the uprising?

And why is it that we have half of the country as refugees outside of Syria when they could have very easily gone to Assad held areas?

@Aly Rustom Legitimate questions.

Then WHY did the Russians have to step in to save Assad's bacon?

My guess is because the so called uprising was basically militant fundamentalists factions, former part of Al-Qaeda heavily funded and supplied from the outside. Don't you find it interesting that Western media calls them just "rebels" (positve image) although they call themselves Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Both internationally recognized terrorist organizations.

As you probably know, Russia has had vested interests in Syria since the time of Hafez Assad (military base, strategic partnerships, etc.). With no assistance from Russia, the end game for Syria would have been the same scenario as in Iraq, Lybia, Afghanistan, etc. (all states in past tense) where the ousting of the anti-US dictator resulted in a power vacuum immediately filled by fundamentalist factions or puppet government.  Also, don't forget that the Russians played a crucial role in defeating ISIS who were turning into a global and certainly a regional threat.

I am surprised the US military strategists still haven't learned their lesson that when you fund terrorists to serve your short-term interests, it inevitably evolves into a bigger problem later on (e.g. Al-Qaeda and ISIS. Al Qaeda was created to fight the USSR in Afghanistan and there are still news articles in Western media from those times praising Bin Laden as a freedom fighther. ). As the saying goes: "One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."

My guess is because the so called uprising was basically militant fundamentalists factions, former part of Al-Qaeda heavily funded and supplied from the outside. 

This is RT propaganda my friend. Don't you believe it. The uprising started peaceful. Unless you want to believe militant fundamentalists were behind the whole arab spring.

Don't you find it interesting that Western media calls them just "rebels" (positve image) although they call themselves Jabhat al-Nusra or Jabhat Fateh al-Sham. Both internationally recognized terrorist organizations.

No I don't. The mosiac of the rebellion against Assad is so complicated that they have to call them rebels. To western audiences, who's who is way too much confusing.

With no assistance from Russia, the end game for Syria would have been the same scenario as in Iraq, Lybia, Afghanistan, etc.

Actually no. Had the russians and the Iranians left syria alone from the start, Assad would have been gone AGES ago, and Syria would have made the transition to democracy. What radicalized many people was the sheer horror of Assad's attrocities and the ambivalence of the west to aid the people in the embryonic stages of the revolution. At any rate, take a look at Syria now. I'd say its far worse than Iraq, Lybia, Afghanistan...

 Also, don't forget that the Russians played a crucial role in defeating ISIS who were turning into a global and certainly a regional threat.

No they didn't. The US engaged ISIS. The russians went after all the other oppostion saying that they were all terrorists. The russians had absolutely NOTHING to do with the defeat of ISIS.

Pinnacle of the preposterous narrative.

I hardly think you can be the judge of that.

Not even an "if". After years, if not decades, of prolonged crisis, the men and women who were yesterday murdering children of each other "would transfer to democracy"?

They weren't before the crisis started. And most of the jihadis fighting on BOTH sides are not even syrian, so please refrain from these very silly statements

Trump in his campaign said " you don't tell people what you are going to do", last Tuesday he says the US will be leaving Syria "very soon". Shame the pathological lying 71 yr old can't remember his own strategy. Syria just crossed the red line he said would never be crossed again and Putin calls the gas attack "fake news". What will Comrade Donald do now? He twitted this in 2013 "The only reason President Obama wants to attack Syria is to save face over his very dumb RED LINE statement. Do NOT attack Syria,fix U.S.A". But but but, he attacked Syria after telling Russia to get their planes out of the way. What will he do now?

And right on cue, here is John McCain. Hasn’t even showed up to work at all this year, yet here he is now.

everytime the US tried to leave Syria there is a gas attack. Why is that?

"Syria would have made the transition to democracy"

Pinnacle of the preposterous narrative. Not even an "if". After years, if not decades, of prolonged crisis, the men and women who were yesterday murdering children of each other "would transfer to democracy"?

Trump blamed this attack on Obama, even though he's been President for over a year now.

To quote Ted Lieu: "So what is your plan? You're the President now. Remember?"

The rebels are almost defeated, it would make zero sense for Assad to use gas now...

Of course it does. First because Assad demonstrated he doesn't mind killing innocent people.

And second as an intimidation technique. The most trauma he creates, the less likely a rebellion will rise again. You can only destroy a revolution if you crush its spirit.

KaishuToday  08:42 am JST

Could also be the Russians made it up about the intelligence to lay the blame on the rebels. I mean Russia certainly does not have a good track record.

What you suggest is a possibility for sure but as far as track records go, have you already forgoten about the US's false flag of Iraq's WMD's?

At $50000-120000 per missile, $40000-50000 per hour for plane fuel, maintaince, military wages and vet treatment for injuries and ptsd, intelgence, blah blah blah...who will pay the “big price to pay”?

As international officials worked to try to confirm the chemical attack - From the article - so it is not even known for sure there was an attack let alone who caused it. It would be far better if Assad just nuked all resistance and then said to the West keep your noses out of Syria and the middle east or suck on my nuke. Works for Kim Jong Un.

I agree with everything about getting the facts straight but the Russians will block the UN action so as soon as the facts are in, if they point to Assad, sending a few cruise missiles Assad's direction would make sense.

The rebels are almost defeated, it would make zero sense for Assad to use gas now...

Exactly! The entire conflict makes zero sense, if you believe the MSM or western leaders. Even at the very start of the conflict, we are to believe that Assad ordered snipers to fire on protesters just hours before the UN was to meet to discuss Syria. Throughout the conflict, whenever the Syrian military has made significant advances by conventional means, we are to believed they then suddenly resorted to chemical weapons.

But I don't get the "this doesn't makes sense" argument. The Syrian regime continuing what it did all along makes a lot more sense than a "false flag attack" with almost zero chance to change anything, and was "predicted" anyway.

... unless they have all been false flag attacks!

I agree with the posters who are questioning the cedibility of this.

I believe the Syrian govt is NOT responsible for this.

Aly, there are plenty of Syrians disagree with you.

Marcelito

Agreed. I read the same article and now, here we are. Likely another WMD false flag that everyone is falling for again. WMD's are horrible but over 400,000 have already died from conventional weapons, I fail to see the difference in the eyes of the dead.

I'm sure we'll be seeing the new phrase "Animal Assad" being used at every turn from this point on. While I believe Assad is a really bad guy, I feel the same way about all those responsible for joining this fight in a foreign country from their own.

Why is Syria government doing chemical attack ?

the government in in the win war now ,

the president needs support from his people and

he is not stupid even thinking of this attack .

This is just propaganda from UK again ?

What has Assad to benefit from such an attack? The pro-Assad coalition were winning already. FYI, it might be word remembering this warning by Russian Gen. Gerassimov from March 13:

“We have credible information that militants are now preparing to stage the use of chemical weapons on civilians by the Syrian government forces. For this goal, the militants have brought to eastern Ghouta people, including women, children and elders, from other areas. These people have to play victims of this staged chemical attack. The White Helmets with their cameramen are already there for live broadcasts,”

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/russia-military-warn-against-attacking-damascus-syria.html#ixzz5C8uB8Uuo that "https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/russia-military-warn-against-attacking-damascus-syria.html

""President Trump was quick to call out Assad today, along with the Russian and Iranian governments, on Twitter. The question now is whether he will do anything about it," McCain said in a statement."

That warmonger McCain would love nothing more than to get the U.S. mired in more Middle East wars.

Punishment and intimidation are a part of what the syrian army does. They don't need another reason.

What the Syrian Army does is not worse from what Iraqi / US forces do in Iraq (Mosul for example), or US / SDF forces do in Syria (Raqqa is the best example).

Let's ask again, who benefits from this? And we have a winner!! It's the sweet couple, UK / US! They need a hot news topic to make people forget about the disastrous "Shripal poisoning" hoax, they can't make their lies look convincing, so the subject must be changed, immediately and decisively. And of course Assad comes to rescue with perfect timing, "using chemical weapons" without any particular reason, just for the hell of it, giving the US / UK a splendid opportunity to start a new noisy propaganda campaign that will bury the failed previous one.