U.S. believes Russia knew about Syria attack
Official says hospital treating victims of chemical attack bombed by Russian-made jet
WASHINGTON— The United States has concluded Russia knew in advance of Syria’s chemical weapons attack last week, a senior U.S. official said Monday.
The official said a drone operated by Russians was flying over a hospital as victims of the attack were rushing to get treatment.
Hours after the drone left, a Russian-made fighter jet bombed the hospital.
American officials believe the bombing was an attempt to cover up the usage of chemical weapons in Khan Sheikhun.
The official said the presence of the surveillance drone over the hospital couldn’t have been a coincidence.
Russia, he said, must have known that the chemical weapons attack was coming and that the victims would be seeking treatment at the hospital.
The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly on intelligence matters and demanded anonymity. He did not give precise timing for when the drone was above the northern Syrian town of Khan Sheikhtoun, where more than 80 people were killed.
He also didn’t provide all the details for the military and intelligence information that form the basis of what he said the Pentagon has now concluded.
The allegation is grave, even by the standards of the currently dismal U.S.-Russian relations.
Although Russia has steadfastly supported Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, and they’ve coordinated military attacks together, Washington has never previously accused Moscow of complicity in any attack that involved the gassing of innocent civilians, including children.
The former Cold War foes even worked together in 2013 to remove and destroy more than 1,300 tons of Syrian chemical weapons and agents.
Until Monday, U.S. officials had said they weren’t sure whether Russia or Syria operated the drone. The official said the U.S. is now convinced Russia controlled the drone. The official said it still isn’t clear who was flying the jet that bombed the hospital, because the Syrians also fly Russianmade aircraft.
U.S. officials previously have said Russians routinely work with Syrians at the Shayrat airbase where the attack is supposed to have originated.
U.S. officials say the chemical weapons were stored at the airbase.
Those elements, the senior official said, add to the conclusion that Russia was complicit in the attack.
Last Thursday 59 Tomahawk missiles were fired on the governmentcontrolled base in the United States’ first direct military action against Assad’s forces.
The U.S. has been focusing its military action in Syria on defeating Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL.
On Monday, Col. John J. Thomas, a U.S. military spokesperson, said the U.S. has taken extra defensive precautions in Syria in case of possible retaliation against American forces for the cruise missile attack that came soon after the chemical attack.
Thomas told reporters at the Pentagon that the increased emphasis on defensive measures to protect U.S. troops on the ground in Syria led to a slight and temporary decline in offensive U.S. airstrikes against Daesh in Syria.
There has been no Syrian retaliation so far for the cruise missile attack, which destroyed or rendered inoperable more than 20 Syrian air force planes, he said.
Thomas also said the U.S. intends to return to full offensive air operations against Daesh as soon as possible.