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Updated 7.56pm
AROUND 3,600 PATIENTS displaying “neurotoxic symptoms” flooded into three Syrian hospitals on the day of alleged chemical weapons attacks, and 355 of them died, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) said today.
The victims all arrived within less than three hours of each other, and MSF director of operations Bart Janssens said the pattern of events and the reported symptoms “strongly indicate mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent”.
“Medical staff working in these facilities provided detailed information to MSF doctors regarding large numbers of patients arriving with symptoms including convulsions, excess saliva, pinpoint pupils, blurred vision and respiratory distress,” he said.
The statement follows allegations that as many as 1,300 people were killed in massive chemical attacks near Damascus on Wednesday that opposition groups say was carried out by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
The Syrian government has strongly denied those allegations, but has yet to accede to demands that UN inspectors already in the country be allowed to visit the sites of the alleged attacks.
MSF provides drugs, medical equipment and technical support to the three hospitals near Damascus, which its staff have not been able to access for security reasons.
“MSF can neither scientifically confirm the cause of these symptoms nor establish who is responsible for the attack,” said Janssens.
However, the reported symptoms of the patients, in addition to the epidemiological pattern of the events — characterised by the massive influx of patients in a short period of time, the origin of the patients, and the contamination of medical and first aid workers — strongly indicate mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent.
Originally published at 5.32pm
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This chemical attack must of been on a huge scale I hope those responsible are brought to justice.
Mr Putin will find a way to defend this of course
Tom
In sure Putin is appalled by these senseless killings
Well, Putin was a-okay about senseless killings in Chechnya so why would he be appalled about the same thing in Syria?
Exactly. I suppose the fact that he supplies Syria with all their ammunition including fighter planes and helicopter gunships and that Russia has a huge Naval base there has nothing to do with his apparent non intervention stance.
I’m on the fence- really don’t know if it is American backed Rebel or Assad. Either way as usual it is the innocent people/children left to bare the brunt. I’m horrified at the pictures I’m seeing everyday. Humanity 0 Evil 1
Just look at vincenzo links there i think they’ll answer your questions
I would urge anyone reading this article to follow this link, its an archived story from the Daily Mail dated 29th January 2013, has since been removed from their website but has been archived, dont know how much longer it will be up there though, copy and paste this to your Facebook, twitter etc. accounts
http://web.archive.org/web/20130129213824/http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2270219/U-S-planned-launch-chemical-weapon-attack-Syria-blame-Assad.html
Vincenzo. I notice that in your article this info was part of a piece by InfoWars!! Not exactly neutral is it.
The daily mail hardly qualifies as a valid source of evidence…
However, “Daily Mail in £110k libel payout over Syrian chemical weapons story”
“The Daily Mail has been forced to pay more than £100,000 in damages and apologise for a story linking a UK defence company with the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
The paper has agreed to pat £110,000 plus legal costs and carry an apology on its website after it had falsely suggested that Britam Defence and two of its directors had been willing to sell chemical weapons to rebels fighting President Assad.”
http://www.pressgazette.co.uk/daily-mail-%C2%A3110k-libel-payout-over-syrian-chemical-weapons-story
Here’s the Mail Apology
“An article on 29 January reported allegations on the internet that the US Government had backed a plot to launch a chemicals weapons attack in Syria and blame it on the Assad regime.
The reports made reference to an email said to have been from David Goulding, the Business Development Director of Britam Defence, to company founder, Philip Doughty. The email had been published on the internet after Britam’s computer system was illegally hacked in Singapore. It referred to a proposal that Britam would deliver chemical weapons to Syria for enormous financial reward and suggested that the directors were willing to consider the illegal proposal.
We now accept that email was fabricated and acknowledge there is no truth in any suggestion that Britam or its directors were willing to consider taking part in such a plot, which may have led to an atrocity. We apologise to each of them and have agreed to pay substantial damages.”
Well Vincenzo. That kind of leaves your link rather redundant and you looking rather foolish for pushing it. A little more research about your links before you post.
Not really, the military industrial complex has millions if not billions behind it and tonnes of political sway behind it so they can put any sort of pressure they want on it that’s the world we live in, money = power
LOL. Golden you would try and sell shit as gold.
Kind of ironic there mick when you blatantly ignore the fact that the country is torn apart by al-Qaeda savages, apologies for al-Qaeda beheadings executions torture rape and kidnappings of innocent people on a mass scale huh?
Please quote me anywhere where I apologised for AQ. Go ahead show us your not full of shit.
MSF does a fantastic job around the world.
If these reports are indeed correct then the question we must ask is what type of chemical weapons did the Syrian ‘rebels’ use?
It is unlikely it was sarin as many chemical weapons experts have already observed, was it a concoction of lethal chemicals?
It is documented that the Syrian ‘rebels’ have used Chemical Weapons before in attacks in Syria, they have openly stated their intention to use them and the Syrian ‘rebels’ have been caught on numerous occasions inside Syria with improvised tickets filled with lethal chemicals and outside of Syria with canisters of Sarin gas.
One does not try to acquire cannisters of Sarin gas merely to look at them and one does not fill rockets with lethal chemicals to merely show them off.
It is time for the world to act. Maybe Russian, American, Chinese, French troops could combine to lend assistance to the Syrian government to help quash the Syrian ‘rebels’, who are really foreign Islamic jihadists masquerading as rebels.
Oh wait, I forgot.
A former French Foreign Minister has already said Britain was cooking up something for Syria in the months before the conflict started there.
The US has already been exposed as trying to plot a chemical attack and blame it on the Syrian government in order to enable them attack Syria.
“It has already been documented”. You forgot to mention that it had been documented by RT, a Russian state-funded media site with just as much reason to fudge information as Fox or CNN. Don’t pretend that you’re being impartial when you already blatantly accuse the rebels of committing this attack when investigators have not been let into the site to come to any concrete conclusions.
Let me ask you one thing Jason,
Do you really think that Assad would have asked the UN to come and inspect an alleged Chemical Weapons attack and when they finally arrive 6 months later, launch his own Chemical attack on the ‘Rebels’?
More bull from B Lowe.
Vincenzo, if Assad is being so open then why are the inspectors not being allowed into this site? Funny how selective the Assad regime has been with what sites can or cannot be visited.
Carla Del Ponte, a former UN war crimes prosecutor said in an interview with Swiss radio on the 05/05/13 that “According to the testimonies we have gathered, the rebels have used Chemical weapons, making use of sarin gas,”.
The Syrian ‘rebels’ have used Chemical Weapons in attacks previously and subsequently tried to blame it on the Syrian government.
I think we can take that as a yes Jason can we?
I mean do whatever you can not to answer the question that was asked of you.
Jason, don’t bother with these guys. You can see that seoirse is changing his tune but still contradicts himself.
You will go round and round in circles with them.
They are the ones that need to prove what they are saying.
@Seoirse
You forgot to mention that Carla Del Ponte said she didn’t have enough evidence to safely conclude that the rebels had used chemical weapons.
Judging from your own post though, evidence is just an inconvenient and unimportant concept to you – you have tried, convicted and sentenced the rebels before an investigation has even commenced!
Says Declan who won’t say where he heard this speculation about Iraqs WMD in Syria…..do 1 you eejit
@Vincenzo.
Yes, the timing of this attack is difficult to explain.
But so is the fact that rebels have demanded a UN investigation and tried to evacuate survivors to Jordan so they can be examined and tested to provide evidence of the nature of the attack.
I’m keeping an open mind on this until the UN can carry out a full investigation.
It’s more than difficult to explain Mattoid, it’s just downright baffling, for Assad to do that would be quite literally suicide, do you not see that? Surely some common sense can be applied here.
Jew didn’t ask them. The UN insisted. He has obstructed them at every turn. And I will asleep again. Why array through UN team being made wait in their Hotel by the Syrian Government who have ignored request after request to allow this team (which is only 20mins drive from the scenes of these attacks) to go and investigate? Why has the Syrian Government done nothing but place obstacles in they way of every single UN team that has been in country?
“Testimony’s” being the operative word. No hard evidence. Why? Because the Assad Government Refused to permit UN investigators into the country.
Say for typos. Typing while walking.
Wow! Seoirse is suggesting that American troops get involved alongside French, Russian, Chinese and Syrians to defeat these rebels?!
So he wants the Americans to fight against rebels that he claims the Americans are arming.
As for the Russians what will they do?
Seoirse look up the aftermath of Grozny in 1995 when the Russians bombed that city to bits.
10,000 Russian soldiers dead and 30,000 civilians dead.
Do you not realize that the Russians can be very heavy handed?
Are you that naive?
Yes Golden it would be an unusual time for Assad to call in the investigators but it can be easily explained. What is currently going on right now is a long and protracted war which I’m sure both sides would love nothing more than to end decisively ASAP. While Assad himself may not be certifying chemical attacks or openly giving the order for them to be used that doesn’t mean that generals in the army aren’t allowing limited deployment of chemical weapons while blaming their fallout on the rebels to cover themselves. It is quite possible that the Army is deploying their massive chemical weapons arsenal, it is also possible that factions within the rebels are deploying them. The fact is we won’t know for sure until the investigators on the ground can conclusively prove who is using them.
That is why comments like Seoirse’s are totally ridiculous as it is impossible to know right now who committed this war crime.
Re Declan.
I seriously do wonder about you sometimes.
Seoirse, why is that? You are seriously floundering all over the place.
Agreed Jason, and let’s not rule out the double-bluff possibility that some of the generals may have felt that now was an ideal time to use them and get away with it because most observers wouldn’t believe the regime would be stupid enough to use them when the UN inspectors are in the country.
Who knows, but a thorough UN investigation is essential at this stage.
Wow, seriously Mattoid, Jason, Mick Jordan, the blood of Innocent Syrians on your hands just as much as it’s on the Jihadists hands, while you continue to push this narrative out on people, may you burn in hell with all who have brought death and destruction.
No need for the melodramatics Golden. Unless of course you have nothing else to say other than your repetitive rhetoric.
Uhhhh, yeah whatever Golden….
So assad did the one thing that could facilitate an invasion?totally believable.
International bankers are getting really sloppy. They need Syria to run their gas and oil pipelines through to Europe, then they need Iran because of its enormous reserves of oil and especially gas and they want Europe to not have to rely on Russia as its biggest energy supplier. Sick f**king game where the innocents get slaughtered to fatten the wallets of evil bastards.
Conspiracy theories !!
Europe has a ton of gas, Europe increasingly is finding more gas and oil. Just the green lobby won’t allow fracking.
Even if Europe never fracks , America is and will soon be self sufficient in terms of oil, Global consumption of fossil fuels is stagnant. Green fuels are increasing.
We heard the same BS comments about the bankers and oil when it came to Iraq and Libya.
You’d happily sit their on your comfy couch with your tin foil hat while Syrians are being blown to bits, Twisted
Yeah mate, u haven’t a clue. Go back to watching sky news if u think Europe has more gas than the middle east plus the price they get it at. Conspiracy theory, the greatest propaganda spree they ever went on. When trillions of dollars are in the offering, people shout conspiracy theory. Money, money, money…..
No Derek. They don’t need Syria. Have a look at Turkey’s southern border. It stretches from the Med to Iran. Any Gas pipeline from either Saudi or the Gulf would if traveling by the most direct route would go via Iraq through Turkey and into Europe.
Alleged chemical ! Well If that not the case then there’s a seriously infectious disease out there.
Also a quick breakdown of the chemical warfare going on in Syria, definitely a must watch!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqzCsRM_mpw&feature=youtu.be
“David Byrne exposed as a Syrian government worker”
Funniest comment on the Journal ever.
Well Sean anything further to say?
Probably out havin a pint like most normal people like to do on a saturday night lol
Since Yesterday evening Golden. Are you calling him an Alcoholic?
They kill off Gadaffi, turn Lybia into turmoil, now they postion ships off Syria ready to strike at a minutes notice. William Hague has already said Assad is guilty before the UN investigation took place so their rhetoric is already steering towards a military intervention. This will not end well for the region.Obama should spend more time fixing Detroit and the other problems in America like school shootings. The Nobel peace prize is a piece of sh*t
David who killed Gadaffi again? I believe he was killed by Libyians and his Death was captured on video.
As for the turmoil in Libya. This has more to do with different Clans and Tribes within Libya squabbling over power. I know this as my brother is an NGO currently in Libya. After the Attack on the US consulate in Benghazai the Al Qeada group that were responsible were attacked and either killed or driven out by the locals that were horrified by the attack.
No, they were sent on to their next mission by the CIA, now we know where you comin from, your family is all over Libya profiting from Libyan misery, no wonder lol
Profiting LOL. Brilliant Golden. What did I say he was doing there NGO wasn’t it? Working with a Childrens Charity. Lots of profit in that. LOL. You really are an idiot LOL
Ok, care to name the NGO youre brother is working for?
No because that may place those working with my brother and him in danger.
Lol how exactly?
Golden. I am not going to endanger people to make a point on a news forum.
The US moved 4 cruise missile carrier ships into the region waiting for a decision from obama and the Pentagon to fire on Syrian government forces. They get there and a huge chemical attack happens, sounds funny to me.
Mr Know. Those ships were already in the Med. 2 of which were due to return to the states but that has been canceled thus bringing the numbers on station to 4
Cruise missiles are also a relatively common weapon among US warships. They are the main weapon used by the US Navy for land bombardment when Iowa-class battleships are either not available or do not have the range to hit the desired target with their guns.
Jason,Jason,Jason…Do you not know that the last Iowa class battleship was mothballed and decomissioned in 1993??Which was the Iowa .Its last combat role was the Gulf war in 1991..They are antiques and musem pieces..So its hardly likely that they are off the coast of Syria as you surmise.Or even in the US Navys register of active combat vessels.
Also ,Could the tin foil hat brigade answer this pertinent point.Where does the US get nerve gas from??It hasnt had a viable stockpile since the 1970s.Also as the syrian radar anti aircraft and costal defence is still in good nick.dont you think they might have spotted a ship launched cruise heading from the US fleet for Damascus???
Amazing too that Medicines sans Frontiers hasnt got a 25 euro NBC detection kit,that is issued enmasse to just about every European army squaddie who faced the Warsaw Pact menace.
By simply apply ing literally different what look like baby wipes to a affected persons skin it tells you what type of NBC agent you have been exposed to.Cost a few billions to develop and yet no one in Syria has one or the UN cant get one or MEDVAC a few casualties out to its exellent disease research facilities in Geneva??? The mind boggles.!
Simon, while you are correct you are leaving out the history of the Iowa-class. They were first introduced during the Second World War and retired not long after the war ended. They have been brought back from retirement and refitted multiple times since, including some big names like Korea and Vietnam. If the US has a serious need for shoreline bombardment against hardened targets they will bring the Iowa-class back from retirement once again. Cruise missiles have proven to be terrible weapons against targets like bunkers which an 18 inch shell has proven much more capable of eliminating.
Hmmm Jason,I’d have to disagree with you on that seriously.you also know that on the last combat mission the Iowas nr 1 turret blew up due to a mishandling of ammo for the guns??Another reason it was decomissioned.Also the idea of shoreline bombardment has gone the way of the calvary charge..you call in either B52s if you want to be abit old fashioned or more modern JDAM, PAVE LOW or a Wild Weasel airstrikes,or stand off and hit the target with tomahawks which can also be SUB launched.
You dont send a 70 year old museum piece that is now a floating museum itself into combat,that needs a support fleet to ensure it gets there to do inefficently what a modern carrier battle group will do in half the time.It would proably cost about a half billion dollars to get it even sea not to mind combat ready.
18in guns???OH DEAR!! Try 36ins main armament. Put it like this,if it was such an effective and efficent weapons system,wouldnt the US Navy have a few more modern versions of the battlewagon??
Those responsible should be strung up just like Sadaam and co.
Just who do you think is responsible?
The whole situation is totally awful , a blind eye has been turned for too long. It should not have taken such an atrocity before the UN started to make noise about what is going on in Syria. Thousands have died millions are displaced and nothing, nothing has been done.
Patricia. The Russians and Chinese have Blocked every attempt by the UN to do something about this.
The Russians have consistently asked for a peaceful resolution to this conflict, meanwhile the Americans arm their proxy armies through their Saudi buddies and train them on Syrias borders with their latest technology weaponry, oh yeah, the Islamic Jihadists must think they’ve won the lottery, or died and gone to heaven.
Golden How many times have the Russians and Chinese used their veto on anything to do with Syria?
Well Golden want me to answer for you. 6 times so far. 6 times they have vetoed resolutions on Syria.
ANd what exactly are the resolutions that they vetoed? Mick?
Well one was a Draft statement on the siege of al-Qusair. Another was calling on Assad to step down. Another was treating sanctions if Syria did not co-operate with UN investigators.
Lol, do I want to feed a troll, all 2 familiar mick
He’s not trolling. They have used vetoes…
Yes and look at their resolutions…
You tell us Golden. Show us your not full of shit!
Seoirse, Golden, Vincenzo. I asked this question of David Byrne the other day and he refused to answer so I will ask you.
You constantly claim that the Americans are arming Al Qaeda. Then answer me this? Why would the Americans give support to a particular group that has publicly stated that they want nothing to do with and want nothing from the Americans and the West? Why would they support a group that if they gained power in Syria would not only be extremely bad for Israel their closest allies in the region but also Turkey (a NATO member), Jordan, Saudi and the Gulf States. All allies of the Americans?
Mick, a very valid question that gets to the heart of their accusations but they can’t/wont answer.
The news from over here is that the Obama administration is reluctant to offer military aid to the rebels.
The US has no control over people going into Syria to fight.
Mick, you only have to look at the red/green thumb ratio to that question to find your answer, the answer is…people have seen past that bullshit that Al-Qaeda are Americas enemies.
And while we are at it here…have you ever heard Al-Qaeda issue a threat against Israel? Do tell if you have, and provide a link or two….
The silence is deafening. Probably because Russian state media hasn’t been able to come up with the answer yet.
Answer the question I asked Golden. I also included Saudi, Turkey and the Gulf States.
I don’t know whether the Americans are arming Al Quaeda now or not but I can see the logistics if they were. Al Quaeda are gaining support across the region while most of the previously western backed regimes are being over thrown or experiencing some upheaval (to put it mildly). So now the western powers see the balance of power shifting and the inevitability that al Quaeda will have the control over the much sought after oil…so they try to get them on side… it’s happened before….in Afghanistan and Iran. Nothing to say it isnt happening now…
Re Niamh.
First off, Al Qaeda is a creation of Western media.
Secondly, the US arms, trains and funds those guys
Firstly:I doubt they agree and secondly that was my point…
Seoirse, which is it ? You say the media created them and the US funds them but earlier you have said that they don’t exist?!
Look back at your posts and your contradictions.
You are not making sense.
It has been a validated fact that AQ has had nothing to do with the US since the time of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan..By and large they are Whabbists from Saudi who have a serious case of Allah and Jihad and the Saudis produce them by the dozen,so they export them to wherever to cause mayhem in the name of Allah the merciful and compassionate.
They consider both the East and West as infidels to be slaughterd as well as fellow Muslims who do not agree to their narrow view of Islam. Osama Bn Ladin came from a wealthy fammily,and he had enough cash along with his other AQ buddies to tool up and train and fight with the Taliban..
No need for any CIA involvement with him,seeing that he had lived in the West in his youth and disavowed everything of the West as an affront to Islam.
Only reason the collander wearers and tinfoil hat looney tunes brigade think they have an American connection is because a member of “the Bin Ladin family ” was photographed with GWB senior,who was head of the CIA.
Bin Ladin is as common a name in Saudi as Murphy or O Brien in Ireland,and Osamas immediate close fammily is numberd in the hundreds.Does that mean because Obama met a Mr Murphy one time,that all the Murphys in Ireland are in pay of the CIA???Or because there was a PIRA terrorist called Murphy,eveyone of his fammily is a ‘RA head???
Be seeing you.
Simon, you are correct in what you say and miles ahead of seoirse, golden and others.
This is a very fluid situation and not black and white like the way some think.
Are you seriously trying to suggest that Al-Qaeda are not a threat against Israel ???
Here is the link or two you requested:
http://israelbehindthenews.com/bin/content.cgi?ID=6705&q=1
http://hivets.com/al-qaeda-linked-salafist-group-claims-eilat-rocket-attack/
While many here will take this with a pinch of salt, their intelligence is rarely too far off . The Israeli’s are claiming it was a specific unit of the Syrian army and the head of that unit is actually Assad’s brother.
Salt taken, dunno why you would even put that out there, can you share a link please Jaymi
Re JaymilIreland
Earth to JaymilIreland.
Can you provide any links for your more bizarre and outlandish claims here Golden??More salt taken,in pounds this time.
Like what? Be specific Simon and I will provide links
100% factual proof that Osama Bin Ladin is/was an actual employed American CIA agent?
That Al Queida is an actual CIA front?
That the US is/was in Iraq for the oil??
Should add onto that,verifiable and documentad in the public domain from respectable recognised organisations.Not conspircy collander hat central or other such sites..Thanks. :]
Don’t believe a word
‘Cause words can tell lies
And lies are no comfort
When there’s tears in your eyes.
He is killing more and more people everyday because of authority. Really nowadays people become animals because of authority and at the last they will be in a dark tiny coffin with bloody worms eaten their bodies, authority will never help them in their tomb.
Declan he spews so much horseshit he can’t remember what what he saying.
@Mick Jordan
am I sensing a bit of know-it-allism? you’ve made your point. other people are entitled to their opinions too. Stop Trolling
Denise. Same could be said for Golden and Seoirse but you don’t mention them why is that I wonder.
I sincerely hope that if refugees from Syria seek refuge in Ireland they are not treated with some of the contempt that was on treads last week on the Journal on the issue of Asylum Seekers.
The worst thing is if the “rebels” launched the attack it means they have access to the Syrian chemical arsenal. There’s no way that whatever was used was cooked up in a garage somehwere its too sophisticated. If Assad has lost control of his chemical weapons or is losing control of them there has to be military intervention to destroy those weapons or eventually they will be used against the west.
Rian. And if Assad used them?
Actually,itisnt the hardest thing to produce at all at all,even in a garage lab.If you have somone who can make Meth,they can make this stuff.More likely it is either captured Syrian chemical weaponary or ex Iraqui munitions.My tip on the latter as it doesnt seem to be very fresh going by the amount injured rather than killed outright.
Al Qaeda is the biggest enemy of America! In Afghanistan they are fighting against them and in Syria they are helping them?
Supported Taliban against Russia! In future these same Syrians rebels will use these weapons against them as Taliban did in Afghanistan! God bless this world and innocent ppl and the families who are being killed coz of few ppl power and Ego!
What we do appear to know is that “MSF can neither scientifically confirm the cause of these symptoms nor establish who is responsible for the attack,” said Janssens.
We know that there are many deaths but we do not know what it was or who did it. Who stands the most to gain and the most to lose from a NATO intervention.
It seems very unusual that this release of chemical agents coincided with a long planned arrival of a UN chemical investigation team.
This needs to be investigated by truly neutral observers before the saber rattling by a few western nations turns this country into another failed democracy.
Obama fiddles while the ME burns and to think that he was given a Nobel Prize.
have your say