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Survey of Chemical Attacks in Douma on 7th April 2018
Bellingcat ^ | April 11, 2018 | staff

Posted on 04/11/2018 1:09:51 PM PDT by gandalftb

On April 7th 2018 reports began emerging of alleged chemical attacks on the city of Douma, in the rebel held pocket of Eastern Ghouta, Syria.

Reports indicated that a significant number of people, including children, had been killed by these attacks.

This report will assess and verify the open source information regarding these attacks, and draw conclusions from the available evidence.

Based on the available evidence, it is highly likely the 34+ victims killed in the attack on the apartment building near al-Shuhada Square were killed as a result of a gas cylinder filled with what is most likely chlorine gas being dropped from a Hip helicopter originating from Dumayr Airbase.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events; Syria; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: gasattack; russia; syria
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To: GraceG
The UN can deal with Assad and the gas,

That's a laugh...the UN is only good at raping children

61 posted on 04/11/2018 2:03:33 PM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them)
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To: Drew68

[ Whether they are are or are not, using chemical weapons is wrong and cannot be ignored. Kill off Assad, then kill of the Islamic terrorists. No problem with that.

That plan worked so well in Iraq and Libya. Third time’s the charm, I suppose.

You really aren’t much of a deep thinker, are you? ]

Yeah, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and not learning your lesson.

The only way you can 100% RELIABLY win a war in the middle east is if you go in to KILL EVERYONE in the country you are invading.

We are NOT Islamic barbarians, we don’t have the stomach to do that, so we should stay OUT OF IT!


62 posted on 04/11/2018 2:04:23 PM PDT by GraceG ("Trust, But Verify the Plan!")
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To: TallahasseeConservative

Repeating from an earlier post:

Many here would like to think that Assad and others in the ME think and reason like westerners. They mostly do not. That is why most peaceniks here do not get what its like living as an Israeli surrounded by Arabs and why they don’t get along. Arabs think of non-Arabs as animals, and think no less of killing them than animals.

So yes, Assad is that STUPID


63 posted on 04/11/2018 2:06:22 PM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them)
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To: silverleaf

I happen to know different since your premise is based on false assumption. Assad did this. But where you went is exactly why we have to respond, to get the message out that use of chemical weapons by ANYONE is verboten.


64 posted on 04/11/2018 2:09:39 PM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them)
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To: Magnum44

*** You described the future Islamic caliphate perfectly ***

Yes, the one the Salafists of the KSA whose ass my government is kissing, arming, and offering to prostitute our military to would like to see.


65 posted on 04/11/2018 2:09:59 PM PDT by sockmonkey (I am an America First, not Israel First FReeper.)
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To: Magnum44

Again, Assad can think whatever he wants. But he’s like every other tinpot dictator the world has ever seen. He’s got one primary goal, survival. To invite the wrath of the US, when you already have the war won, makes no sense. I know the Arab mindset, but Assad is no dummy.


66 posted on 04/11/2018 2:12:50 PM PDT by TallahasseeConservative (Isaiah 40:31)
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To: gandalftb

You can create any conspiracy you want if merely how you want to draw your lines of connection between any two dots suffices for facts upon which such lines ought only to be drawn.

One could say that “Neocons” supported things the U.S. did in Afghanistan many years ago, and supported the 2003 take down of Saddam Hussein.

The conspiracy theory some folks mount from that is that since Al Queda benefited in the first instance, and added to the mess in Iraq in the second instance, that the “Neocons support Al Queda”. Yet, mere results of history do not make any direct connection that those results were the intentions, and results of specific efforts in that direction by “the Neocons”.

I think the truth is less strange than the conspiracy theories. 1. The “Necons” have done very well often convincing others in foreign policy circles they are smartest guys on the block. 2. Their world view is that the west can make the world more like it, more “democratic”, more “open”, more economically dynamic with “free markets” and many of the worlds ills will diminish. 3. But their giant error is that they are not the smartest guys on the block, they are bunglers, and they fail to admit that much of what has made our success was neither forced on us nor handed to us - it was a historical development and it required the playing out of our own history.

The Taliban, Al Queda and ISIS? Beneficiaries of western bungling at various times, more than direct and intentional results of western interests seeking to give strength to their horrible causes.

So without documentation, spare us your conspiracy theories.

As I have stated, I am not “supporting” the Neocons. In fact, I give the less credit for everything other than helping some foreign policy people make bad choices that constantly fail to consider long term consequences of expedient actions.


67 posted on 04/11/2018 2:13:22 PM PDT by Wuli
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To: sockmonkey

I remember Obama bowing over to kiss ass. I think Trump took a different approach. Something to the effect of “start pulling your own weight”


68 posted on 04/11/2018 2:13:51 PM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them)
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To: gandalftb

https://southfront.org/there-are-some-problems-with-gas-cylinders-videos-used-by-white-helmets-as-evidence-of-douma-attack/

Or maybe it was staged.


69 posted on 04/11/2018 2:14:10 PM PDT by Basket_of_Deplorables (Trump has implemented Supply Side Economics!!!)
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To: TallahasseeConservative

I didn’t say he was a dummy. He is a survivalist, and he has no respect for human life, similarly to most of the Islamic world. Assad has brought attacks on himself by Israel for decades, all preventable, and in any of those you could ask for what rationale purpose. But the mind set is just hate driven and rationale doesn’t have anything to do with it.


70 posted on 04/11/2018 2:17:25 PM PDT by Magnum44 (My comprehensive terrorism plan: Hunt them down and kill them)
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To: Wuli

“So without documentation, spare us your conspiracy theories.”

What conspiracy theories have I offered? I’m not much of a conspirer. You must be thinking of someone else.

This post is offered only as it is the first field report I’ve seen. No opinions on its completeness or honesty.


71 posted on 04/11/2018 2:18:52 PM PDT by gandalftb
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To: Magnum44

The terrorists got chemicals from us
Or they can use chlorine seized from an industrial facility
Or make them in a lab
Syria seized a rebel militia lab in Ghouta last month that had 24 tons of CW weapons and instruction manuals

Five years ago some obama numb nuts thought it was a good idea to train “ moderate rebels” to go around Syria finding and “ securing” chemical weapons and how to handle them

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/12/09/sources-defense-contractors-training-syrian-rebels-in-chemical-weapons/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Ya think something might have gone not according to plan?

Heres the group THAT WAS IN DOUMA under fire, squabbling among itself over accepting Assad peace terms that hardliners were refusing to allow others in their group to accept-
Admitting to having - and using - CW in the past
http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/7a0f6294-ab7f-4d15-b5af-3ff4b444ab3f/Syrian-rebels-admit-chemical-use-against-Kurds


72 posted on 04/11/2018 2:20:11 PM PDT by silverleaf (A man who kneels for the national anthem doesn't stand for much of anything)
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To: Basket_of_Deplorables

Good points, good link.

Seems odd that a gas tank could bust through the roof but not the bed?


73 posted on 04/11/2018 2:21:50 PM PDT by gandalftb
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To: Magnum44

In the end, this is about American blood. Is it worth American blood to engage in another Middle Eastern civil war?


74 posted on 04/11/2018 2:22:00 PM PDT by TallahasseeConservative (Isaiah 40:31)
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To: TallahasseeConservative

If Assad just wanted to survive, why is he not still living in England with his British wife and kids, working as an optometrist?


75 posted on 04/11/2018 2:23:01 PM PDT by silverleaf (A man who kneels for the national anthem doesn't stand for much of anything)
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To: gandalftb

Yes, and the cylinder was still closed, and undamaged in the first vid released by the jihadi White Helmets. Then 2 days later, they release another vid, with damaged cylinders.

Hmmmm.....


76 posted on 04/11/2018 2:24:43 PM PDT by Basket_of_Deplorables (Trump has implemented Supply Side Economics!!!)
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To: Magnum44
Then lets hope Assad gets the message that he can kill his own people without chemical weapons. If Assad had given up the WMD’s we wouldn’t be having these arguments.

I don't really care what method Assad uses to kill ISIL and al Qaeda, if Assad even used chemical weapons at all.

And so what if he did? Dead Jihadis do not cause me to lose a wink of sleep.

77 posted on 04/11/2018 2:29:16 PM PDT by Drew68
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To: gandalftb

I meant my comments actually for many of the comments in the thread, and not you personally - sorry.

There seems to be knee-jerk reaction to everything in the Middle East that sees a Neocon hiding in the background over everything. But usually I don’t find those with that reaction have any documentation beyond the “neocon” label they’ve conjured up themselves.


78 posted on 04/11/2018 2:31:37 PM PDT by Wuli
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To: silverleaf

When I said survive, I was referring to the survival of not only himself, but the regime. No one is saying Assad is a good guy here, but bombing the Syrians is aiding ISIS. What is good about that?


79 posted on 04/11/2018 2:33:07 PM PDT by TallahasseeConservative (Isaiah 40:31)
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To: Magnum44

All you seem to “ know” is that a couple of HIP helos were over the battle area
Helos routinely used for airborne CP and fire directing
A battle in close quarters with Syrian special forces and Russian advisors engaged and calling in fire support

In an area where they knew 3,000 mostly Christian and alawite captives were being held as shields

A battle that erupted because a last minute truce broke down when JAI militia hardiners refused to hand over weapons and captives and started executing their own men who wanted to leave

On buses that were already gathered nearby and waiting

Within 24 hours of the “ chemical attack’ the rebels were in luxury buses headed north
Please dont expect a rational person to believe Assad and the Russians called in a gas attack


80 posted on 04/11/2018 2:34:43 PM PDT by silverleaf (A man who kneels for the national anthem doesn't stand for much of anything)
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