Trump Orders Strike on Syria for Using Chemical Agents on Civilians

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Summary: The Trump administration authorized a missile attack on a Syrian air base assumed to be the source of a chemical attack on a civilian town nearby that killed men, women and countless children.

Syria has been in a civil war for roughly six years. President Bashar al-Assad has been using chemical weapons on civilians that leave men, women, and children dead. In a response to his barbaric acts, President Donald Trump approved the launch of 59 cruise missiles at a Western Syrian military airfield.

  

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The attack was performed in response to a chemical attack by the Syrian government on Tuesday in Khan Sheikhoun that killed numerous civilians. U.S. officials believe the chemical attack was carried out by the planes at the airbase. The action by the United States places them in a more involved stance than in previous years under President Obama. The Obama Administration had plans to strike the Syrian government but placed priorities on the Islamic State. In 2014, there was a planned assault but the administration abandoned the plan after a similar chemical attack was carried out on Syrian civilians. However, Obama has always insisted that Assad would not be able to remain in a postwar Syria, supporting rebel groups that have tried to oust him.

Most countries have tried to take a back seat while the country battles out its problem except Russia and Iran, which have both sided with Assad. It is unknown as of yet how the attacks will affect the relationship between the U.S. and Russia, which is already strained. Russia has threatened to break a pact with the U.S. to share intelligence on warplane missions over Syria where the U.S. currently fights against Islamic State targets with airstrikes. Russia was given advanced warning of the attack so they could properly secure their forces in Syria. The air base has a Russian military area but the U.S. took precautions to ensure that the area was not struck in the attack, according to Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.

The Trump Administration justifies their decision to strike as “vital” to the nation’s “security interest.” Trump has called upon “all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria. And also to end terrorism of all kinds and all types. We ask for God’s wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world. We pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who have passed and we hope that as long as America stands for justice then peace and harmony will in the end prevail.”

Syria agreed in 2013 to hand over their chemical stockpile with Russia acting as a monitor to make sure Assad did not waiver from that deal. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke Thursday about the deal stating, “Clearly, Russia has failed in its responsibility on the commitment. Either Russia has been complicit or has been incompetent on its ability to deliver.”

Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said in a joint statement that the attack “sent an important message the United States will no longer stand idly by as Assad, aided and abetted by Putin’s Russia, slaughters innocent Syrians with chemical weapons and barrel bombs.” They continued in expressing their desire for the administration to remove Assad’s air force out “with a new, comprehensive strategy in coordination with our allies and partners to end the conflict in Syria.”

Two navy destroyers, the USS Ross and USS Porter, launched the missiles from their position in the eastern Mediterranean. The targets included air defenses, aircraft, hangars, and fuel. Syria claims the missiles killed five soldiers and eight civilians but not independent sources can verify the claims.

The U.S. has hundreds of troops stationed in Syria, placing their level of security at a heightened state. They troops are in the country to fight the Islamic State, including major assaults on the de facto capital, Raqqa.

Do you think the attack was the right move? Tell us why or why not in the comments below.

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Cover Photo: ibtimes.co.uk

Civilian Photo: longislandtechnologynews.com

Family Photo: photogallery.telugu.samayam.com

Livestock Photo: eastonline.eu