Trump launches military strike against Syria

[Roseeurekacross]

My local news reported that 4 children among 9 civilians are dead. not too sure if it’s confirmed

au.news.yahoo.com/world/a/34953048/four-children-among-nine-civilians-dead-in-us-syria-strike-state-media/
Damascus (AFP) - A US missile strike targeting an airbase in central Syria killed nine civilians, including four children, on Friday, state news agency SANA reported.

The news agency said five of the civilians, among them three children, were killed in the village of Shayrat just outside the base of the same name.

“An American missile also hit the village of Al-Hamrat, which killed four civilians including a child,” it added.

“Another seven civilians were wounded when a missile hit homes in Al-Manzul, four kilometres (two and a half miles) away from the Shayrat air base,” it added.

Washington said it fired a barrage of 59 cruise missiles at the Shayrat base in response to what President Donald Trump called a “barbaric” chemical attack on a rebel-held town on Tuesday that he blamed on the Damascus regime.

The Pentagon said it believed the aircraft that carried out the deadly attack on Khan Sheikhun came from the Shayrat base.

US officials said Russian commanders in Syria were informed of the strike beforehand in order to avoid casualties that could prompt a broader crisis.

The Syrian army had said earlier that six people were killed in the strike on the base – the first time that the US has directly attacked the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

AFP

 

[josh987654321]

My gut feeling is the investigations finally got to Trump,

Investigations?

and now he’s trying to distance himself from Russia

I don’t know, but if they did, that would be a bad idea. Especially when I was hoping US - Russia relations would improve, and together could work on and agree to a solution for Syria. As that’s the only way I can see things getting better.

Already I have my suspicions that we’re going to be disappointed with Neil Gorsuch.

I don’t know, I know he is against euthanasia/assisted suicide, which is a good sign. Will have to wait and see.

I hope this has helped

God Bless You

Thank you for reading
Josh

 

[Roseeurekacross]

Stay out of Syria’: What Donald Trump’s old tweets say

aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/syria-donald-trump-tweets-170407041106339.html

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
What will we get for bombing Syria besides more debt and a possible long term conflict? Obama needs Congressional approval.

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
If Obama attacks Syria and innocent civilians are hurt and killed, he and the U.S. will look very bad

Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
AGAIN, TO OUR VERY FOOLISH LEADER, DO NOT ATTACK SYRIA - IF YOU DO MANY VERY BAD THINGS WILL HAPPEN & FROM THAT FIGHT THE U.S. GETS NOTHING

 

[Robert_Bay]

MODERATOR WARNING

All posts are to be charitable
No name calling

 

[Vouthon]

Trump has sold out. I assume he’s been compromised by NWO Globalists.

How peculiar.

I agree with his course of action on this (admittedly rare) occassion, “NWO globalist” that I am

When Assad first used chemical weapons I didn’t back punishing him, for fear of the repercussions, and I very much regret this poorly formed judgement on my part. I was wrong, really wrong. I bitterly regret that my Parliament played the decisive role in dissuading Obama from following through on his red line and slipping into flagrant inaction. Words and diplomacy alone will bring an end to Syria’s brutal civil war, not weapons. I recognise this wholeheartedly. However, when perfectly innocent civilians are made victims of chemical weapons outlawed by the international community for their indiscriminate nature, for nearly a hundred years, I believe that military intervention can be justified in the interests of humanitarianism and the need to uphold the rules-based international order.

I do have a few bones to pick with the unilateral manner in which Trump, without allies, pursued this military course outside of a wider strategy. Nevertheless, I cannot deny that it shows decisiveness, backbone and moral certitude on his part - not to mention a degree of leadership qualities. Surely, this will not go unnoticed by Xi J(name removed by moderator)ing. It sends quite some message to our Chinese friends.

 

[exnihilo]

It didn’t take long for Trump to abandon his claim that he would reign in the use of war. Obama was also a peace candidate. And if you can believe it Bush II ran saying he wanted a humble US foreign policy. Not killing people and destroying ancient civilizations is surprisingly something that actually appeals to a large segment of Americans and cuts across party lines.

I actually voted for Trump because he had a history of opposing military actions even when they were popular. I don’t say because he ran on less war because as pointed out that is nothing unusual among warmongering presidents. I also knew the President actually does have the power to make less war. Other platforms I like such as stopping illegals and other immigration could be held up by bureaucrats, congress and judges. But as of now there is no power on Earth that can stop the US from lobbing missiles at people other than the US president.

The likelihood that Assad gassed people is slim to none. Of course there is evidence, but the CIA always manufactures evidence. Even if it were true what is the justification for lobbing missiles at Syria? What gives the US the right to unilaterally do this? What about the UN? I disagree with even the existence of the UN but if the US is going to be a member then shouldn’t the UN be involved? Of course the truth is the UN is used to legitimize US military action when it will and safely ignored otherwise.

Not surprisingly Trump is just another neocon tool of the deep state. Unfortunately for the citizens of the US besides us being judged for our warmongering this is bankrupting us and will soon enough bring about the end of our empire.

 

[josh987654321]

Wake up people; they supported terrorists in 1980’s Afghanistan and they’re supporting terrorists now in Syria. I hope Russia retaliates in kind and bombs the Turks and the Zionists. I hope Trump and his whole family are murdered by the Islamic terrorists he has just supported.

Careful what you wish for.

I hope Russia understands and sympathizes with the reasons for the US strike, and if Assad was responsible for the gas attack, that Russia corrects Assad in his use of chemical gas and the US and Russia work together for a joint solution to the conflict.

I hope this has helped

God Bless You

Thank you for reading
Josh

 

[Ridgerunner]

My gut feeling is the investigations finally got to Trump, and now he’s trying to distance himself from Russia and make friends with neo-con Republicans as well as gain a little sympathy from a few Democrats. I think what we’ll have to look for in the days ahead is a combination of worsening relations with Russia, a noticeable decrease in hostility from politicians-media, the Russian investigations finding nothing significant, more staff shakeups, and a gradual toning down of anti-Trump protests around the country. If that happens, I’d say it’s pretty obvious that Trump is in the hip pocket of the Globalist Order. Already I have my suspicions that we’re going to be disappointed with Neil Gorsuch.

Sometimes the obvious explanation is the right one.

Obama issued his “red line”, which Assad violated. Then there were negotiations.
Supposedly we had an agreement with Russia and Assad that Assad would not use poison gas again and would, indeed, destroy all stockpiles and create no new ones. We even worked with the Russians to offload what was said to be the stockpile for destruction.

Later, it turned out Assad still had them, and used them. The whole world, including Trump, reacted with horror and disgust.

Trump got elected. Assad used them again, violating the agreement again. Russia had to know he had them, and they had to know he used them. Trump told the Russians to get out of the way, which they did. They could have gotten the Syrian planes out of the way, but didn’t. They could have launched some kind of strike against American troops in northern Syria, but didn’t.

Trump told the Chinese prime minister while the missiles were in the air. The Chinese prime minister just kept grinning at the cameras and didn’t get up and leave in protest.

There is no good reason to disbelieve any of this, and certainly none to believe Trump blasted the Syrian air base for any reason other than the reasons he said. At this point, I don’t think any serious person doubts it.

Now, as time goes on, there might be some Sunni force “carve out” in Syria and Iraq, as the Kurds, some Sunni allies and U.S. troops destroy ISIS power, leaving the Russians and Iranians with an Assad rump state in the Alawite areas, more or less joined to the Hezbollah state in Lebanon. Something like that could be stable (for the Middle East) for quite some time. Nobody will have to admit that state borders were redrawn.

 

[Vouthon]

Sometimes the obvious explanation is the right one.

Obama issued his “red line”, which Assad violated. Then there were negotiations.
Supposedly we had an agreement with Russia and Assad that Assad would not use poison gas again and would, indeed, destroy all stockpiles and create no new ones. We even worked with the Russians to offload what was said to be the stockpile for destruction.

Later, it turned out Assad still had them, and used them. The whole world, including Trump, reacted with horror and disgust.

Trump got elected. Assad used them again, violating the agreement again. Russia had to know he had them, and they had to know he used them. Trump told the Russians to get out of the way, which they did. They could have gotten the Syrian planes out of the way, but didn’t. They could have launched some kind of strike against American troops in northern Syria, but didn’t.

Trump told the Chinese prime minister while the missiles were in the air. The Chinese prime minister just kept grinning at the cameras and didn’t get up and leave in protest.

There is no good reason to disbelieve any of this, and certainly none to believe Trump blasted the Syrian air base for any reason other than the reasons he said. At this point, I don’t think any serious person doubts it.

Now, as time goes on, there might be some Sunni force “carve out” in Syria and Iraq, as the Kurds, some Sunni allies and U.S. troops destroy ISIS power, leaving the Russians and Iranians with an Assad rump state in the Alawite areas, more or less joined to the Hezbollah state in Lebanon. Something like that could be stable (for the Middle East) for quite some time. Nobody will have to admit that state borders were redrawn.

Good post, I concur.

 

[Monte_RCMS]

There are MANY Syrian military bases.

Trump attacked and severely damaged ONE Syrian military base.

So, there are many available targets remaining that could be attacked by the United States in the future.

The Syrian military base that Trump attacked might have been the base from which the gas attack was launched. [We, here at CAF, do not know … but some indications are that the United States did know. When the news magazines and Aviation Week and Flight International and others check their satellite photographs in daylight and with shadows available, we will have more information and more detailed information.]

There is a retired four star U.S. Army general [Jack Keane] [who had been on the short list to be Secretary of Defense] who predicted or suggested precisely this exact U.S. move yesterday.

Trump did not endanger Assad nor Assad’s regime nor the Russian troops in Syria.

The Syrian military base is not far from the Russian base at Latakia, so the Russians had to know that the Syrians had WMD / chemical weapons available and stored. [When Saddam Hussein was in power in Iraq, he evacuated his WMD’s to Syria (and to other places). This was common knowledge and in fact details including satellite imagery were posted here at CAF.]

Trump’s attack occurred right in the middle of his meeting with China in Florida. Trump did not consult with China [or Russia or North Korea or Iran].

 

[BoomBoomMancini]

Wake up people; they supported terrorists in 1980’s Afghanistan and they’re supporting terrorists now in Syria. I hope Russia retaliates in kind and bombs the Turks and the Zionists. I hope Trump and his whole family are murdered by the Islamic terrorists he has just supported.

Whoa dude. I’m certainly not a fan of Trump, and would be very happy to have someone else in the Oval Office, but wishing murder on him and his family is over the line. You need to breathe into a paper bag for a bit or something.

 

[Vouthon]

Whoa dude. I’m certainly not a fan of Trump, and would be very happy to have someone else in the Oval Office, but wishing murder on him and his family is over the line. You need to breathe into a paper bag for a bit or something.

Agreed.

That was the most heinous post I think I’ve ever read on this forum

 

[Vouthon]

The latest:

theguardian.com/world/live/2017/apr/07/us-syria-response-donald-trump-assad-pentagon-live

**There has been more support for Trump’s airstrikes in Syria, this time from Canada and Jordan.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement: “Canada fully supports the United States’ limited and focused action to degrade the Assad regime’s ability to launch chemical weapons attacks against innocent civilians, including many children.

“President Assad’s use of chemical weapons and the crimes the Syrian regime has committed against its own people cannot be ignored.”

The Jordanian state news agency, Petra, reported that the Jordanian administration said the US missle strike was “necessary and appropriate”.

A statement for the European commission president said:

"A horrific chemical weapons attack on civilians struck Khan Sheikhun on 4 April. Last night, in response, the US launched airstrikes on Shayrat airfield.

The US has informed the EU that these strikes were limited and seek to deter further chemical weapons atrocities.

President Juncker has been unequivocal in his condemnation of the use of chemical weapons.

The repeated use of such weapons must be answered. He understands efforts to deter further attacks. There is a clear distinction between airstrikes on military targets and the use of chemical weapons against civilians.

Efforts to stem the spiral of violence in Syria and work towards a lasting peace should be redoubled. Only a political transition can lead to such an outcome. President Juncker and the European commission as a whole stand ready to play their part in full."**

 

[ProdglArchitect]

Who are you to say who needs to go from the leadership of a nation?

Any government which murders its own citizens needs to go.

 

[Vouthon]

Any government which murders its own citizens needs to go.

 

[Seamus_L]

Syria and Russia both claimed that the gas was released when an area storing it on the ground was hit by government airstrikes. The area was controlled by Jabhat Al-Nusra, who we should all know by now are some real bad boys, who aren’t opposed to using gas as a weapon. The Trump administration made up their minds almost instantaneously though as to what happened. And where did they get their info ? From two very shady groups , the SCD aka White Helmets, who work with Jabhat Al-Nusra and have other scary ties and an NGO based in the UK, and not even in Syria.

                                             None of this makes any sense  whatsoever. Things were going well for Assad recently. The government was winning the war. The Trump administration accepted the reality that he would probably remain in power, and in about 24 hrs that all changes. Life doesn't work that way. That's about like a guy being told he's a lock for the next big promotion at work, and so he comes to the main office the next day roaring drunk and insults the CO.

                                            I think it's gradually going to be revealed that this all started back when General Michael "Islam is a cancer" Flynn was forced out to be replaced by HR "I can't say radical Islam" McMaster.

 

[exnihilo]

Any government which murders its own citizens needs to go.

I don’t disagree but that is every government. Also, what about governments that murder other nation’s citizens? Why does it matter whether the person murdered is a citizen?

 

[randomuser]

Trump conned you; that’s what happened. He will worse than Bush and Kissinger combined.

Didn’t con me. I didn’t vote for him and am praying for his impeachment. My gut reaction is he did this to boost his sagging poll numbers and detract from the trainwreck that has characterized his first 100 days. I think the bombing was a mistake, one which directly contradicts his campaign promise not to bomb Syria and potentially trigger WWIII.

 

[Reuben_J]

                                             None of this makes any sense  whatsoever. Things were going well for Assad recently. The government was winning the war.

Assad suffered some losses lately in Damascus which would not be going well for him. The speed of the anti-government forces gain was astounding which could hurt Assad’s future in all this. Worse still for him, it was done while the peace negotiation was going on. A desperate man who thinks he is about to lose what he has gained can do crazy thing to keep it.

 

[JanetF]

Wake up people; they supported terrorists in 1980’s Afghanistan and they’re supporting terrorists now in Syria. I hope Russia retaliates in kind and bombs the Turks and the Zionists. I hope Trump and his whole family are murdered by the Islamic terrorists he has just supported.

You might want to take a look at the forum rules, I think you’ve crossed a line. Not that I’m a moderator, but…