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Syria War: At Least 70 Killed in Suspected Chemical Attack in Douma

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Smoke rose from Douma, the last rebel holdout in the suburbs around Damascus, on Saturday, after an attack by government forces. Activists reported that poison gas was used in the assault.  Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

CLICK HERE - UK - Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) - statement on reports of a chemical weapons attack in Syria

reuters.com - April 7, 2018

A chemical attack on a rebel-held town in eastern Ghouta has killed dozens of people, medical services reported, and Washington said the reports - if confirmed - would demand an immediate international response.

A joint statement by the medical relief organization Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and the civil defense service, which operates in rebel-held areas, said 49 people had died in the attack late on Saturday. Others put the toll at 150 or more.

The Russian-backed Syrian state denied government forces had launched any chemical attack as the reports began circulating and said the rebels were collapsing and fabricating news.

CLICK HERE - Dozens reported killed in suspected Syria gas attack; Damascus denies

CLICK HERE - Syria war: At least 70 killed in suspected chemical attack in Douma

CLICK HERE - Poison Gas Attack Reported by Syrian Anti-Government Activists

 

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state.gov - Press Statement - Heather Nauert - Department Spokesperson - Washington, DC - April 7, 2018

We continue to closely follow disturbing reports on April 7 regarding another alleged chemical weapons attack, this time targeting a hospital in Douma, Syria. Reports from a number of contacts and medical personnel on the ground indicate a potentially high number of casualties, including among families hiding in shelters. These reports, if confirmed, are horrifying and demand an immediate response by the international community.

The United States continues to use all efforts available to hold those who use chemical weapons, in Syria and otherwise, accountable. The regime’s history of using chemical weapons against its own people is not in dispute, and in fact nearly one year ago on April 4, 2017, Assad’s forces conducted a sarin gas attack on Khan Sheikhoun, which killed approximately 100 Syrians.

The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented immediately. Russia, with its unwavering support for the regime, ultimately bears responsibility for these brutal attacks, targeting of countless civilians, and the suffocation of Syria’s most vulnerable communities with chemical weapons. By shielding its ally Syria, Russia has breached its commitments to the United Nations as a framework guarantor. It has betrayed the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118. Russia’s protection of the Assad regime and failure to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria calls into question its commitment to resolving the overall crisis and to larger non-proliferation priorities.

The United States calls on Russia to end this unmitigated support immediately and work with the international community to prevent further, barbaric chemical weapons attacks.

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2018/04/280313.htm

 

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