72 DEAD IN GAS ATTACK
Pope Francis and other world leaders condemn attack, while Syrian Government denies any hand in it Trump blames former US President Obama for “weakness” in failing to respond aggressively after 2013 attack
A chemical weapons attack in an opposition-held town in northern Syria killed dozens of people on Tuesday, leaving residents gasping for breath and convulsing in the streets and overcrowded hospitals.
The Trump administration blamed the Syrian government for the attack, one of the deadliest in years, and said Syria’s patrons, Russia and Iran, bore “great moral responsibility” for the deaths.
The United Nations Security Council is set to convene for an emergency meeting over the attack, where at least 72 people were reported killed, including 11 children.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO chief, said in a statement that “this is the third report of the use of these barbaric weapons in the last month alone.”
He recalled that the use of chemical weapons is prohibited and that “this international norm must be fully respected and upheld.”
He said Syria “is responsible to ensure its full compliance with these obligations.”
Nearly 400,000 people have been killed and half of Syria’s population has been displaced by the six-year conflict.
Quoting witnesses, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the early morning attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun was carried out by Sukhoi jets operated by the Russian and Syrian governments.
Videos from the scene showed volunteer medics using fire hoses to wash the chemicals from victims’ bodies. Haunting images of lifeless children piled in heaps reflected the magnitude of the attack, which was reminiscent of a 2013 chemical assault that left hundreds dead and was the worst in the country’s civil war.
Tuesday’s attack drew swift condemnation from world leaders, including President Donald Trump, who denounced it as a “heinous” act that “cannot be ignored by the civilized world.”
Influence
The UN Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting for Wednesday in response to the strike, which came on the eve of a major international donors’ conference in Brussels on the future of Syria and the region.
Trump left it to his top diplomat, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, to assign at least some blame to Russia and Iran, Assad’s most powerful allies. Tillerson called on both countries to use their influence over Assad to prevent future chemical weapons attacks, and noted Russia’s and Iran’s roles in helping broker a cease-fire through diplomatic talks in Astana.
In a statement, the Syrian government “categorically rejected” claims that it was responsible, asserting that it does not possess chemical weapons, hasn’t used them in the past and will not use them in the future.
It laid the blame squarely on the rebels.
Those with political responsibility both locally and internationally (should) cease this tragedy and bring relief to that dear population that for too long has been exhausted by war. POPE FRANCIS