The Evidence We Were Never Supposed to See About The Douma 'Gas' Attack

Robert Fisk
The Independant

The OPCW has opened the door to ridicule, when the simple truth would have been enough.

We like to take the Big Boys on trust. No longer do we believe in our meretricious little leaders with their easy lies and twitters: the Trumps and Mays and now all the nationalists of Europe. We certainly don't put any credit in Arab dictators.

But when, despite all its bureaucracy and corruption, the UN tells us that the world faces climate change, we largely believe what it says. If the International Red Cross warns us of a humanitarian catastrophe in Africa, we tend to take their word for it. And when the Organisation for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) - which represents 193 member states throughout the world - reports on chlorine attacks in Syria, we assume we are hearing the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Until now. For in the last few days, there has emerged disturbing evidence that in its final report on the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime in the city of Douma last year, the OPCW deliberately concealed from both the public and the press the existence of a dissenting 15-page assessment of two cylinders which had supposedly contained molecular chlorine - perhaps the most damning evidence against the Assad regime in the entire report.

The OPCW officially maintains that these canisters were probably dropped by an aircraft - probably a helicopter, presumably Syrian - over Douma on 7 April 2018. But the dissenting assessment, which the OPCW made no reference to in its published conclusions, finds there is a "higher probability that both cylinders were manually placed at those two locations rather than being delivered from aircraft".

It is difficult to underestimate the seriousness of this manipulative act by the OPCW. In a response to the conservative author Peter Hitchens, who also writes for the Mail on Sunday - he is of course the brother of the late Christopher Hitchens - the OPCW admits that its so-called technical secretariat "is conducting an internal investigation about the unauthorised [sic] release of the document". 

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See also: Real ‘obscene masquerade’: How BBC depicted staged hospital scenes as proof of Douma chemical attack

CONFIRMED: Chemical Weapons Assessment Contradicting Official Syria Narrative Is Authentic

Caitline Johnstone
Consortium News

The leak undermines the fundamental assumptions behind many years of Western reporting, writes Caitlin Johnstone.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has begun responding to queries by the press about a leaked document that contradicts official OPCW findings on an alleged chemical weapons attack last year in Douma, Syria. The prepared statement they’ve been using in response to these queries confirms the authenticity of the document.
 

To recap, a few days ago the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media (WGSPM) published a document signed by a man named Ian Henderson, whose name is seen listed in expert leadership positions on OPCW documents from as far back as 1998 and as recently as 2018. It’s unknown who leaked the document and what other media organizations may have received it.

The report picks apart the extremely shaky physics and narratives of the official OPCW analysis on the gas cylinders allegedly dropped from Syrian government aircraft in the Douma attack, and concludes that “The dimensions, characteristics and appearance of the cylinders, and the surrounding scene of the incidents, were inconsistent with what would have been expected in the case of either cylinder being delivered from an aircraft,” saying instead that manual placement of the cylinders in the locations investigators found them in is “the only plausible explanation for observations at the scene.” 

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Watch: US-Led Forces Drop Banned White Phosphorous on East Syria

Zero Hedge

According to Middle East news source Al Masdar News, the U.S. Coalition dropped internationally banned white phosphorous on the last tiny Islamic State enclave in eastern Syria during intense operations on Saturday evening.

American warplanes specifically dropped the white phosphorous on ISIS positions inside the Baghouz camp, which coalition statements have described as the last holdout to the "most hardened" militants, numbering in the hundreds, in Abu Kamal District of Deir Ezzor governate near the Iraqi border.

Screenshot of Saturday night's alleged white phosphorus use by the coalition, via ‘Ayn Al-Firat news.

Amidst intense fighting led on the ground by US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), civilians have continued to pour out of the town to escape the carnage. Sky News has put the number of people that have left the ISIS enclave over the past three months at about 40,000.

Al Masdar reports the video footage of the IUS white phosphorous attack on Islamic State positions was originally captured by ‘Ayn Al-Firat (Eye of the Euphrates) news organization on Saturday:

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Leaked Doc Reveals US Military Use of IMF, World Bank as “Unconventional” Weapons

Whitney Webb
Mint Press News
 

This “U.S. coup manual,” recently highlighted by WikiLeaks, serves as a reminder that the so-called “independence” of such financial institutions as The World Bank and IMF is an illusion and that they are among the many “financial weapons” regularly used by the U.S. government to bend countries to its will.

 

WASHINGTON – In a leaked military manual on “unconventional warfare” recently highlighted by WikiLeaks, the U.S. Army states that major global financial institutions — such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) — are used as unconventional, financial “weapons in times of conflict up to and including large-scale general war,” as well as in leveraging “the policies and cooperation of state governments.”

The document, officially titled “Field Manual (FM) 3-05.130, Army Special Operations Forces Unconventional Warfare” and originally written in September 2008, was recently highlighted by WikiLeaks on Twitter in light of recent events in Venezuela as well as the years-long, U.S.-led economic siege of that country through sanctions and other means of economic warfare. Though the document has generated new interest in recent days, it had originally been released by WikiLeaks in December 2008 and has been described as the military’s “regime change handbook.”

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Lavrov warn West against new strikes on Syria under staged pretext

Sputnik

Previously, Moscow stated that terrorists in the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib attempted to carry out provocations with the use of chemical weapons in order to create a pretext for international strikes against Syrian government forces.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned Western countries against new strikes on Syria. He also mentioned possible provocations with the use of biological weapons, noting that constructive dialogue between Moscow and Washington is needed in order to strengthen the non-proliferation regime.

"There's an alarming situation regarding the issue of chemical disarmament. First of all, this is in connection with the actions of a number of Western states accusing the Syrian authorities with more and more unsubstantiated allegations of using banned chemical agents. We warn [the West] against new strikes on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic under another staged pretext," Lavrov said at a UN Security Council meeting.

Previously, US President Donald Trump stated that the US would respond if chemical weapons are deployed by the Syrian government.
Earlier this year, a coalition, led by Washington, carried out a series of airstrikes against Syrian forces following an alleged chemical weapons attack by the government in the city of Douma. Damascus denied the accusations, while Moscow stated that the whole attack was a false flag operation, staged by anti-government militants.
 

Filming of staged chemical attack in Syrian Idlib begins - Russian MoD

FILE PHOTO. Aftermath of an alleged chemical weapons attack in Eastern Ghouta in April 2018. © White Helmets / Reuters 

RT

Footage, meant to serve as proof that the Syrian government has conducted a chemical weapons attack in Idlib, Syria, is to be handed to global news outlets by the end of Tuesday, the Russian military claims.  

Several Middle East TV channels and a US news channel have been sent to Jisr al-Shughur in Syria’s Idlib Governorate to produce the footage needed for the provocation, a statement by the Russian Center for Syrian Reconciliation said. It added the intelligence came from local residents of Jisr al-Shughur.

“All the footage of the staged provocation in Jisr al-Shughur is to be delivered to the newsrooms of TV channels, which are to broadcast it after its publication on social media,” the statement claimed.

It also said that an Islamist group was provided with two canisters of a “chlorine-based chemical” for the purpose of the operation.

The Russian military said the footage would include scenes of White Helmets operatives treating supposed victims of an apparent barrel bomb chemical weapon attack by Damascus.

Moscow has repeatedly warned that a false flag chemical weapon attack was being prepared in Idlib, giving the US and its allies justification to attack Syrian government forces. Senior US officials have threatened Damascus with retaliation if it uses chemical weapons in Idlib and even preemptively assigned the blame for any such attack to the government.


See also:  Terrorists & White Helmets met in Idlib to prep for final stage false flag chem attack – Russian MoD

New Chemical Weapons Provocation Will Serve as Pretext for US', Allies' Strike on Syria - Russian MoD

Sputnik 

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, militants are arriving in Syria's Idlib after being trained by a private British military company called Olive.

The Russian Defense Ministry has accused the United States, the United Kingdom and France of preparing to carry out new strikes against Syria under the pretext of chemical weapons use by Syrian government forces.

"Western countries' actions in spite of their public statements are aimed at another sharp deterioration of the situation in the Middle East region and the disruption of the peace process on the territory of Syria," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov noted."

According to the spokesman, militants in Idlib province are preparing to stage the use of chemical weapons against civilians by the government.

"To carry out the alleged 'chemical attack' in the city of Jisr al-Shughur in the province of Idlib, militants from the Tahrir al-Sham group (affiliated with the Jabhat Nusra* terror organization) had delivered 8 tankers with chlorine… to a village a few kilometers from Jisr al-Shughur," the general stated."

For this purpose, the destroyer USS The Sullivans armed with 56 cruise missiles had arrived in the Persian Gulf several days ago, while a US В-1В bomber carrying 24 air-to-surface AGM-158 JASSM cruise missiles has been deployed at Al Udeid air base in Qatar, the spokesman suggested.

"This provocation with the active participation of the British special services will serve as another pretext for the US, UK and France to conduct a missile strike on the Syrian government and economic facilities," Konashenkov said."

A group of militants trained under the guidance of a private British military company, Olive to work with poisonous substances has arrived in Idlib, the ministry said.

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See also:  Eva Bartlett: Bolton calls on Al-Qaeda to stage more chemical attacks in Syria

Eva Bartlett on Spring 2018 Visit to Syria, Israeli Violence in Gaza

GlobalResearchTV

 

Published on Jul 9, 2018

In this special July 2 edition of GRTV, we interview Canadian award-winning journalist Eva Bartlett about her most recent trip to Syria. In this 26 minute feature Bartlett talks about residents in Douma who refute the accusations of chemical weapons attacks there, she talks about the kidnapping of civilians and the hoarding of food by terrorist factions, Western governments reprisals in April which affected cancer care facilities, an the toll sanctions were taking on the country. Eva also recounts her experiences in Gaza and how they inform her understanding of Israel's most recent attacks on protesters at the Israel-Gaza border wall. More of Eva's journalistic work can be found at 

https://ingaza.wordpress.com/

"No Nerve Agents" In Douma: OPCW Report Demolishes White House Sarin Narrative

ZeroHedge

 

A preliminary report published Friday by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) found no traces of any nerve agent at the site of a suspected chemical attack in the Syrian city of Douma. The OPCW report states this unambiguously as follows:

"No organophosphorous nerve agents or their degradation products were detected in the environmental samples or in the plasma samples taken from alleged casualties."

Compare the newly published official OPCW findings with the 5-page White House assessment released on April 13th, just days after the alleged attack. Now contradicted by the new OPCW findings, the White House asserted that sarin was used at Douma,

A significant body of information points to the regime using chlorine in its bombardment of Duma, while some additional information points to the regime also using the nerve agent sarin.

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EU Extends Sanctions Against Syria for One Year

Comment: Just because the EU is inside AngloZionist designs to oust Assad, they'll decide to hurt the Syrian people just a bit more... 

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Sputnik 

 

The European Union has decided to extend sanctions against Syria by one year, until June 1, 2019, the EU Council said in a statement on Monday.

 

“On 28 May 2018, the Council extended EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime until 1 June 2019. Given the ongoing repression of the civilian population, the EU decided to maintain its restrictive measures against the Syrian regime and its supporters, in line with the EU strategy on Syria,” the document read.

The European Union introduced sanctions “against Syria and persons responsible for the violent repression against the civilian population” in May 2011, during the Arab Spring protests, which led to the ongoing civil war in the country.

In 2017 EU also imposed restrictions on Syrian officials who relate to the development an the use of chemical weapons in the country, with over 250 individuals targeted by the sanctions for the involvement in the development and use of chemical weapons against the civilian population.

Damascus strongly denied those accusations, also noting that the international organizations didn’t find any evidence of the chemical weapons development by the Syrian government.

In its turn, the US ruled out any American reconstruction support to Assad-controlled territories in the war-weary country.

Prediction of New False-Flag Gas Attack in Syria Seems to Fit US Escalation Plans

Whitney Webb
Mint Press News

If a chemical weapons “attack” comes to pass in the place it has been predicted, it would be the first such provocation blamed on Assad to take place in territory occupied by a foreign power, likely triggering an intensified military response from the U.S.

DAMASCUS – Though last month’s unilateral bombing of Syria by the U.S., U.K. and France came and went, the threat of foreign military intervention targeting the Syrian government remains, particularly given Syria’s success in defeating the foreign-funded terrorist proxies that have prolonged the Syrian conflict for seven long years. While Israel seems to have taken it upon itself to militarily intervene in Syria to prevent the Syrian government from continuing to reclaim its lost territory, the other major powers that have long sought the end of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have seemed to step back from intervening in Syria, unless another chemical weapons attack were to take place and be blamed on Assad.
 
For that reason, a recent article, published in early May by Russian news agency RIA Novosti, should raise concern, as it exposes alleged plans for another gas-attack provocation in Syria. According to the report, preparations for a staged chemical weapons attack began late last month as civilians were relocated to a territory near Jafra oil field in Eastern Syria, where they will participate in a staged filming of a chemical-weapons attack scene. According to South Front, a U.S. military garrison was recently established in this area. The report, based on the testimony of an anonymous member of the Syrian security services, claimed that an attack was being planned by U.S. security services and would employ “prohibited substances” against a group of civilians. 

The source also noted that the operation itself was being led by a former Daesh (ISIS) militant, Mishan Idris Hamash. Though this may seem unusual, the U.S. and its proxy force in Eastern Syria, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have been known to collaborate with former Daesh forces, including militias composed of former Daesh fighters under the SDF banner. 

If this report is true, it would not be the first time that such warnings were made public prior to chemical weapons attacks in Syria that were ultimately blamed on the Syrian government. For instance, in late March, the Russian Ministry of Defense had warned that a chemical weapons “provocation” was being planned in Eastern Ghouta by rebel groups in the area as part of a last-ditch attempt to prevent being run out of the Damascus suburb by the Syrian Arab Army. Just a few weeks later, a chemical weapons attack in Douma – widely believed to have been staged – took place and, prior to any investigation, prompted the U.S., U.K. and France to bomb the Syrian government, which they blamed for the attack.

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Weapons Inspector Refutes U.S. Syria Chemical Claims

Comment: By now, all but the most ill-informed and apathetic (and mainstream media journalists) must actually believe Assad had anything to do with the latest chemical attack.

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Dennis J. Bernstein
NWO Report

Scott Ritter is arguably the most experienced American weapons inspector and in this interview with Dennis J. Bernstein he levels a frank assessment of U.S. government assertions about chemical weapons use.

In the 1980’s, Scott Ritter was a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, specializing in intelligence.  In 1987, Ritter was assigned to the On-Site Inspection Agency, which was put together to go into the Soviet Union and oversee the implementation of the Intermediate Nuclear Forces Treaty.  This was the first time that on-site inspection had been used as part of a disarmament verification process.

Ritter was one of the groundbreakers in developing on-site inspection techniques and methodologies. With this unique experience behind him, Ritter was asked in 1991, at the end of the Gulf War, to join the United Nations Special Commission, which was tasked by the Security Council to oversee the disarmament of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.  From 1991 to 1998, Ritter served as a chief weapons inspector and led a number of teams into Iraq.

According to Ritter, in the following Flashpoints Radio interview with Dennis Bernstein conducted on April 23rd, US, British and French claims that the Syrian Government used chemical weapons against civilians last month appear to be totally bogus.

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Keep Calm & Blame Russia: RT Documentary on Inconvenient Facts in Skripal Saga

Murad Gazdiev 
RT
via Sott.net

If countless Russia-bashing pieces don't help you get the big picture of the lingering Skripal saga, a report by RT's Murad Gazdiev may. He scrutinized the major slipups in the UK government's (and their pundits') narrative.

It is "highly likely" that Russia deployed a deadly weapons-grade toxin to poison former double agent Sergei Skripal. Porton Down, the UK's leading chemical research lab, says there is "no doubt" the toxin was Novichok-class nerve agent developed by the Soviet Union. And Russia surely did it, because the very word 'Novichok' is Russian for 'newcomer.'

RT's Murad Gazdiev examines the stunning discrepancies that emanate from the Skripal case, as the blame game against Moscow continues.

The report includes commentary from renowned chemical weapon experts, both Russian and Western-based, who told RT the formula of Novichok-class agents is actually an open secret as any - yes, you heard it right - laboratory in the world may produce the same substance with the same degree of purity. Moreover, the pace at which the UK authorities identified the poison used on the Skripals raises even more questions.

Watch RT's report in full here: 

OPCW Chemical Inspection Team Reaches Douma After Issuing Statement Negating "Russia Cover-Up" Claim

"Some among this early group of journalists which gained entry to the site, such as the UK Independent’s Robert Fisk and One America News Network’s Pearson Sharp found no evidence that a chemical attack took place in Douma, contrary to what’s been widely reported in international media."

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Zero Hedge 

After many days of delay inside the security arch of Damascus' city center, the international chemical weapons watchdog group, Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), announced that its team of investigators finally entered the Damascus suburb town of Douma early on Saturday.

In an official statement posted to its website, the OPCW confirmed the following: 

The Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) team of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) visited one of the sites in Douma, Syrian Arab Republic today to collect samples for analysis in connection with allegations of chemical weapons use on 7 April 2018. The OPCW will evaluate the situation and consider future steps including another possible visit to Douma.

The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission will initially study the collected samples at an OPCW lab in the Netherlands, with potential sample distribution to its other designated labs. In the past, it's take up to multiple weeks or months for the OPCW to issue a preliminary report to the public.

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Syrian Crisis Shows US Empire Losing Hegemony as Western Mainstream Media Losing Grip Over Narrative

Comment: If you are going to read one article this week then it should be this one. Perezalonso offers a good summary of the moat egregious disinformation that passes for mainstream news on the Syria crisis.  

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Andrés Perezalonso
Sott.net

  © South Front

 Hassan Diab appears in the video of the victims of the 'chemical attack' in Douma.
Later the boy explained to Russian media how the event was staged.

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 Two of the most remarkable facts concerning the April 14th attack on Syria by the US, UK and France are:

1. Materially, the attacks were completely ineffective, as explained by Joe Quinn's article About Those 'Nice, New, Smart' Missiles And The 'Chemical Weapons' Sites in Syria. The Syrians understood this, which is why they were celebrating rather than mourning when the sun came up.
2. They were carried out hours before the OPCW mission reached Syria and right after the Russian Ministry of Defense began showing testimonies of local doctors denying there was a chemical attack in Douma. This suggests F.UK.US. were in a hurry to make a show of force before the facts could be properly analyzed while distracting attention away from the evidence.

Rather than demonstrating strength, these facts speak of weakness, impotence and a desire to compensate with theatrics. The US knows it cannot go too far in its pursuit of regime change in Syria because it risks paying a heavy price at the hands of Russia. Even if it could take out all Russian forces in Syria, it is not willing to lose any ships, aircraft or personnel and thus lose its status as the supreme global military force. Furthermore, there is always the risk of escalation, which is madness when it comes to nuclear powers. The Americans are acutely aware that they are playing with fire, which explains how careful they were to stay away from Russian targets. The attack was carefully measured to appear stronger than last year's, yet not strong enough to provoke Russia into action. This could also explain, in part, why the Trump administration is seeking to replace US troops in Syria with an Arab force, as it is much safer (and cheaper) to fight with proxy forces.

In the aftermath of the strikes on Syria, and as more information is coming out about the chemical attack that never was, it is becoming increasingly clear that Western mainstream media outlets are also losing their dominant positions and their grip on the narrative.

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Douma Chemical Attack Was Staged: This Short Video Proves it

Sott.net
 

The US, UK and French governments claimed that an 'chemical weapon' attack occurred in Douma on April 7th. They cited "social media" as their evidence for the attack, in particular a video of a chaotic scene inside a hospital where people were being treated. Yet rather than waiting for OPCW inspectors to visit the scene of the alleged attack to determine what occurred, the US, UK and French militaries attempted to bomb 10 targets, mostly Syrian military bases, on the morning of April 13th.

In the short video presentation below, several doctors and other medical personnel who were in the hospital room in the aftermath of what they said was shelling - and who appeared in the video used by the US, UK and French governments as evidence that a chemical weapon was used - tell their story. 

syria alikhbaria

The Empire's Ship is Sinking

Comment: Short documentary from Abby Martin's Empire Files (2015). Worth another watch. Given what's happening today, nothing has changed other than the dangerous death throes of  of Empire. 

Have a look at this document mentioned in the video: Syria: UN Mission Report Confirms that “Opposition” Rebels Used Chemical Weapons against Civilians and Government Forces

Yet, here we are again trying to dupe the public into accepting an illegal bombing raid against Syria for nothing more than money and power. 

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"I still think there is high potential for this manipulation of intelligence...I am very skeptical of the Intelligence Establishment and what it says." 

 --  Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson

 TeleSUR English

"History has shown us that empires crumble when their thirst for power overtakes all other sensibilities. According to United States Army Colonel Lawrence Wilkerson, America could stand on the precipice of such destruction. His insights form the foundation of the short documentary The Empire's Ship is Sinking, and it's a rarely-heard point of view from inside the heart of the beast.

Wilkerson knows of which he speaks. He flew over a thousand combat missions during the war in Vietnam. He later served as the National Security Advisor to President Ronald Reagan, and as Chief of Staff to General Colin Powell during the administration of President George W. Bush. He possesses intimate knowledge of the inner workings of war, and has witnessed first-hand how the propulsion of endless conflict continues to line the pockets of the very wealthy and decimate the existence of the lower classes worldwide.

Many key tenants of modern-day warfare are covered in the brief, yet wide-ranging interview that structures the film. From the more than 800 bases the United States military operates across the globe to the increased proliferation of weapons manufacturing, conflict means big business for the American elite. There seems to be no profitability in peace. The wealth created by these global skirmishes does not promote a more productive capitalistic society, because none of it falls downward in support of the lower classes. In some cases, as Colonel Wilkerson points out, foreign policy is based more on business considerations than humanitarian ones.

The issue is so complex and far-reaching that pinning the blame on a single culprit becomes muddied and elusive. In a way, we are all complicit. According to some reports, over 70% of retired military generals are recruited by the nation’s top weapons manufacturers as spokespeople and advisors. It falls on them to convincingly sell the need for continued conflict to the American people. In large part, the citizenry accepts these arguments without question or protest.

Wilkerson contends that such a path is unsustainable, and will surely spell doom for America's reputation, economic vitality and moral dominance in the world. The Empire's Ship is Sinking forces us to consider the corporate complex that drives America’s violent incursions across the globe." - https://topdocumentaryfilms.com/empire-ship-sinking/

American and British Reporters Reach Douma, Syria: Discover There Was NO Chemical Weapons Attack

Washington's Blog

Forget what the Syrian government or the Ruskies say.

The first Western journalist has interviewed doctors at the hospital in Douma, Syria which supposedly treated chemical weapons victims and is announcing what really happened.

In the following 1-minute clip, award-winning journalist Robert Fisk – writer for Britain’s Independent for almost 30 years – explains that the video of victims struggling to breathe are real, but that they have nothing to do with a chemical weapons attack:

Here’s a transcript:

I’ve just been in the town of Douma. I found the clinic where the film of the children frothing at the mouth and having water thrown at them was made.
And I spoke to the hospital doctor, who actually spoke very good English. And he told me that the video is real. But they’re not suffering from gas poisoning.
They’re suffering from hypoxia (i.e. insufficient of oxygen) because of the amount of dust in the tunnels in which they live. All through the year people in the Douma area have been living beneath their own homes, in tunnels and basements.
And that night there was a shelling by the Syrian army and the Russian air force. And it produced a huge amount of dust and debris in the streets. And many people found it difficult to breathe.
And when they reached the clinic according to the doctor, someone shouted “gas” … and they panicked.

Background here and here.

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How the Syrian American Medical Society Is Selling Regime Change and Driving the U.S. to War

truthdig.com

Reports on unproven allegations of a chemical attack in Douma, the Syria city formerly occupied by the Army of Islam insurgent group, invariably rely on a key source: The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS). Together with the White Helmets, SAMS has been cited by the Washington Post, New York Times, CNN and virtually every Western media organization reporting on the incident. In Douma, SAMS staff have claimed that they treated more than 500 people for symptoms “indicative of exposure to a chemical agent.”

The group also played a central role in shaping the narrative of a sarin attack in Al Qaeda-controlled Khan Sheikhoun in April, 2017, providing biomedical samples to the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which violated its stated protocol by accepting evidence without a verifiable chain of custody. That incident prompted the launching of 57 cruise missiles at a Syrian air base by the American military. Almost exactly a year later, a strikingly similar event is said to have tripped the “red line” again, and is likely to trigger a more robust assault by the US and its allies.

SAMS claims to be a “non-political, non-profit medical organization,” and is cited as a credible authority by media reporting on the incident in Douma. Scant published material is available on the organization’s origins as an exile arm of the Islamist-oriented Syrian opposition, its involvement in sophisticated influence operations from the Turkish-Syrian border, or its close relationship to neoconservative elements in Washington and Al Qaeda’s affiliate in Syria.

SAMS is not merely a group of Syrian doctors tending to the wounded in war torn areas, nor can it be considered an objective source on chemical attacks and other atrocities. The organization is a USAID-funded lobbying powerhouse that functions with a single-minded determination to stimulate a US-led war of regime change that will place Syrian Islamists in power in Damascus.

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'Double standards: US, UK, France stand by Saudis in Yemen but pose as moral crusaders in Syria'

Comment: And such "intervention" has always soooo well in the past...

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RT

The Syria attack reveals the hypocrisy of the West – which fuels the Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen despite documented abuses – but relies on unverified claims to punish Syria, journalist and broadcaster Neil Clark told RT. 

As Riyadh's campaign in Yemen enters its fourth year, it has been repeatedly accused by rights groups of civilian casualties during the bombardment. However, in Syria's case, reports of a chemical weapon attack in Douma that are yet to be independently corroborated became the trigger for a coordinated military action, Clark pointed out.

"On the one hand, they are rolling out the red carpet for Saudi leaders and they are supporting, either directly or indirectly, the Saudi bombing of Yemen, which is causing a great humanitarian catastrophe – and how many children has that conflict killed?

"On the other hand, they pose as moral paragons, as moral crusaders when they claim children have died in Syria's chemical weapons attack without evidence," he said.

Clark argued that by continuing its weapons sales to Riyadh, the West "has been feeding and supporting that conflict." 

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