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Syria conflict: 'Chemical attacks' kill hundreds (mostly women and children)
BBC ^ | August 21, 2013

Posted on 08/21/2013 6:00:03 AM PDT by NYer

Rockets with toxic agents were launched at the suburbs of the Ghouta region early on Wednesday as part of a major bombardment on rebel forces, they say.

The Syrian army says the accusations have been fabricated to cover up rebel losses.

The main opposition alliance said that more than 1,000 people were killed by the attacks.

Activist networks also reported death tolls in the hundreds, but these could not be independently confirmed.

It is also not clear how many died in the bombardment of the sites and how many deaths were due to any exposure to toxic substances.

In a statement, the army described the accusations of chemical weapons use as grave, and stressed the military's right to fight what it described as terrorism in Syria.

It accused the opposition of fabricating the accusations to divert attention from the huge losses its forces had suffered recently. 'Shocking escalation'

UK Foreign Secretary William Hague and French President Francois Hollande called for UN inspectors to be allowed access to the area and said Britain and France would raise the issue at the UN.

If confirmed, the attacks would mark a "shocking escalation in the use of chemical weapons in Syria", Mr Hague said.

(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; Israel; Politics/Elections; Russia; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: chemicalweapons; iran; israel; lebanon; littlebrotherdidit; maheralassad; pestcontrol; russia; syria; syriawar; waronterror
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To: Christian1

They are “sleeping” under a sheet that is covered with ice.

Look closely.


21 posted on 08/21/2013 7:24:28 AM PDT by SargeK
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To: SargeK

“They are “sleeping” under a sheet that is covered with ice.

Look closely.”

They are good at staging the scenes. Shame that one of the kids is trying to open his to see what the camera men are doing.Seen that sh.iite before.

Last week in Egypt they were staging the same kind of propaganda.Unfortunately the Egyptian army was filming the islamists doing the scenes.


22 posted on 08/21/2013 7:32:01 AM PDT by Christian1
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To: 2banana

Why not laugh? Obama is the world’s biggest joke.


23 posted on 08/21/2013 7:45:05 AM PDT by Blood of Tyrants (Tyranny is defined as that which is legal for the government but illegal for the people. T Jefferson)
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To: Christian1

Exactly... there’s no skin discoloration or deformation that is typical of death.

Sorry, jihadis... FAIL.


24 posted on 08/21/2013 7:45:08 AM PDT by ScottinVA (If you don't care about Antonio Santiago, sure as hell don't whine about Trayvon Martin.)
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To: NYer
Those kids don't look dead to me. I'm no expert but I'm not buying it based on that pic.
25 posted on 08/21/2013 7:53:00 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: Christian1

No mention of the agent used.

Remember when a rocket hit a chemical tank, and it was broadcast as an attack? Could be the same thing. If there was an ammonia refrigeration station that got hit, that could be the source.


26 posted on 08/21/2013 7:56:45 AM PDT by redgolum ("God is dead" -- Nietzsche. "Nietzsche is dead" -- God.)
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To: liberalh8ter; Christian1; ScottinVA

Hmm. I didn’t realize that I was in the presence of three forensic pathologists. I’m not sure even Cyril Wecht would go as far out on the limb based on a single photo that you all seem to be willing to go.

Time may tell what happened here, but I have no confidence that all of the facts will ever be known. And skepticism is warranted, based on prior history and is reflected throughout the news coverage. Sarin (GB) is pretty volatile, and won’t stick around long in the desert environment. However, Soman (GD) was more of a favorite of the Russians since the antidotes didn’t work as well (the acetylcholinesterase ages too fast). Being a client of the USSR, I’d have thought that Assad would lean toward their preferred flavors of WMD.

But I will defer to your expertise in the matter.


27 posted on 08/21/2013 8:14:34 AM PDT by SargeK
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To: Girlene

Can’t aree more. The muzzies are loosing out there. They invent such “horror stories” for they urgently need some shocking sensation to ivoke sympathy from the international community. Besides, Assad ain’t so silly to deploy the chems right after the UN inspectors arrived in the country to check out allegations of a WMD use.


28 posted on 08/21/2013 8:21:38 AM PDT by Altenkrug
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To: redgolum

Ammonia is lighter than air and boils at -28 degrees Fahrenheit. In the middle east, I’d expect it to go pretty much straight up. It certainly wouldn’t create hundreds of casualties unless they were in really close proximity.

The news coverage contains repeated references to symptoms that are indicative of nerve agent (salivation, lacrimation, urination, defecation, gastric distress, emesis, miosis). Is it real or is it Memorex? Only when and if someone gets there with the right knowledge and equipment will we know for sure what the agent was.

Blood tests on the survivors would be revealing. People exposed to nerve agent will have suppressed levels of acetylcholinesterase for a prolonged period. It is replaced only at a rate of 1% per day, IIRC.


29 posted on 08/21/2013 8:25:30 AM PDT by SargeK
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To: SargeK
If you reread my post I clearly state it's my opinion and it's based on the photo. Never said I was an expert. Guess I'm jaded but I think in this climate, that's healthy*.

*healthy reference in no way reflects a medical opinion. Readers should consult their own physician/clinician to determine what is healthy for them. Results may vary.

30 posted on 08/21/2013 8:33:44 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: liberalh8ter

Granted - and my tone was a little abrasive.

There aren’t any angels in this conflict except for the dead children. They are the victims of both sides. And there are dead children. There are thousands of real casualties, a lot of them non-combatants, and both sides are exploiting them for all they are worth. It is worth the time to dig a little into the story.

And its not like arab dictators are above sliming their civilian populace. Halabja was no stage-managed photo op.


31 posted on 08/21/2013 8:45:32 AM PDT by SargeK
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To: SargeK
I don't disagree with you at all. I'm just waiting for an objective source to confirm. Just recently, videos of a staged shooting surfaced. Given the history of both fabrication and brutality, it's difficult to wade through the swamp and find the alligator.
32 posted on 08/21/2013 9:04:56 AM PDT by liberalh8ter (The only difference between flash mob 'urban yutes' and U.S. politicians is the hoodies.)
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To: NYer

Fox ran a story with video and warned to look away . . . I had to look away.


33 posted on 08/21/2013 10:07:08 AM PDT by AtlasStalled
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To: Girlene; Doofer

Apparently you haven’t seen the videos....they’re very disturbing, & no, they aren’t actors


34 posted on 08/21/2013 2:39:54 PM PDT by nuconvert ( Khomeini promised change too // Hail, Chairman O)
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To: Christian1

PLease view some of the awful videos...if you dare


35 posted on 08/21/2013 2:41:26 PM PDT by nuconvert ( Khomeini promised change too // Hail, Chairman O)
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To: I want the USA back
Subhuman savages did this. If they are offended by being called subhuman savages they should stop acting like subhuman savages.

Clearly. The question remains however as to which subhuman savages perpetrated this atrocity. Asisi, or the MB, or let's face it, the CIA?

Since it is a fact that our government perpetually lies to us, and given that the media perpetually propagates those lies, what are we to believe?

I suggest this: That the Syrian government is evil. That the terrorists fighting the government are evil. That America would be better served in refraining to aid, abet, or advocate on either side of evil.

36 posted on 08/21/2013 2:48:55 PM PDT by Sirius Lee (All that is required for evil to advance is for government to do "something")
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To: nuconvert

I didn’t say there weren’t chemical weapons used....it just does not add up that the Syrian government would sanction their use, especially right now. Anything is possible, but I don’t think the Syrian government wants the grief that would come from using them. THey seem more than capable of killing plenty of people the old fashioned way.


37 posted on 08/21/2013 7:47:33 PM PDT by Girlene (Hey, NSA!)
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To: Girlene

Chemical weapons scare people more than gunfire.
Maybe the Syrian gov’t didn’t do it. Maybe it was alQaeda or the MB.


38 posted on 08/21/2013 9:06:51 PM PDT by nuconvert ( Khomeini promised change too // Hail, Chairman O)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...
Don't worry, I'm sure the Assad regime, and the Iranian mullahcracy, and the Hizbollah, and the Russians used special gas that only kills jihadists. Y'know, jihadists other than Iranians and Hizbollah.
39 posted on 08/22/2013 3:50:39 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (It's no coincidence that some "conservatives" echo the hard left.)
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To: nuconvert

“PLease view some of the awful videos...if you dare”

Pallywoood...all fake. all set up by clever marketing.
It is all lies.
I am amazed people fall for it....


40 posted on 08/22/2013 4:53:30 AM PDT by Christian1
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