Trump says 'something should happen' with Assad, U.S. military studies options

[webfact]

Trump says 'something should happen' with Assad, U.S. military studies options

By Steve Holland and Phil Stewart

REUTERS

 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the gas attack in Syria during a joint news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday that "something should happen" with President Bashar al-Assad after a deadly poison gas attack in Syria, as the Pentagon and the White House studied military options.

 

Facing his biggest foreign crisis since taking office in January, Trump suggested he may be taking a stronger stance against Assad, an ally of Iran and Russia, whose country has been torn apart by six years of civil war.

 

"I think what Assad did is terrible," Trump told reporters travelling with him on Air Force One en route to Florida.

 

"I think what happened in Syria is a disgrace to humanity and he’s there, and I guess he’s running things, so something should happen," Trump said, stopping short of calling on Assad to leave office.

 

The poison gas attack on Tuesday in the rebel-held northern Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun killed at least 70 people, many of them children.

 

Washington has blamed the attack on the Syrian government, putting it at odds with Russia, which has air and ground forces in Syria. The Syrian government has denied it was behind the attack.

 

Striking Assad could put the United States on a collision course with Russia, which intervened on the Syrian president's side in 2015, turning the tide of the conflict against mostly Sunni Muslim rebel groups in his favour.

 

Trump has until now focussed his Syria policy almost exclusively on defeating Islamic State militants in northern Syria, where U.S. special forces are supporting Arab and Kurdish armed groups.

 

Only last week, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the U.S. diplomatic policy on Syria for now was no longer focussed on making Assad leave power, one of former President Barack Obama's aims.

Trump said on Wednesday the gas attack in Idlib province, which angered people around the world, had caused him to think again about Assad.

 

MILITARY OPTIONS

 

Going further than Trump's comments, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said there may be no future for Assad as Syria's leader.

 

“Assad's role in the future is uncertain, clearly, and with the acts that he has taken it would seem that there would be no role for him to govern the Syrian people,” he said.

 

A U.S. official said detailed military options being discussed by the Pentagon and White House after the gas attack could include grounding aircraft used by Assad's forces.

 

Such options would also include the use of cruise missiles, allowing the United States to strike targets without putting piloted aircraft in the skies above Syria.

 

Assad appears militarily unassailable in the areas of western Syria where he has shored up his rule with decisive help from Russia and Iranian-backed militias.

 

The U.S. official did not comment on how likely military action might be or suggest which, if any, options might be recommended by the Pentagon.

 

The official added that U.S. Defence Secretary Jim Mattis and White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster had already been in talks on the matter.

 

Mattis will presumably discuss the options when he meets with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida, the official said. Mattis is due in Florida later on Thursday as part of a scheduled trip.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday it was unacceptable to make "groundless" accusations over the Idlib attack. Moscow has suggested it will publicly stand by Assad and says the chemical weapons incident was likely caused by a leak from a depot controlled by Syrian rebels.

 

European Union governments called on the U.N. Security Council to strongly condemn the attack.

 

Turkey would welcome U.S. military action in Syria following the gas attack and would be ready to assist if needed, President Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying. Ankara has been a steadfast opponent of Assad and repeatedly called for his ouster.

 

French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday a U.N.-authorized international military force should intervene in Syria if it is proven that Assad's government used chemical weapons.

 

(Additional reporting by Roberta Rampton in Washington; Writing by Alistair Bell; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-04-07

[ukrules]

I'm inclined to believe that one of the buildings which was bombed was full of this 'gas' in storage in a rebel area and released by the destruction of the bombing raid.

 

Assad is an ass but he's not dumb, whoever dropped those bombs blew up an illegal weapons cache which caused large scale poisoning.

[craigt3365]

5 minutes ago, ukrules said:

I'm inclined to believe that one of the buildings which was bombed was full of this 'gas' in storage in a rebel area and released by the destruction of the bombing raid.

 

Assad is an ass but he's not dumb, whoever dropped those bombs blew up an illegal weapons cache which caused large scale poisoning.

Too many world leaders are saying Assad is responsible.  As you know, they've got info we don't have.  Including assets on the ground.

 

And yes, Assad is dumb enough to do this.  He kills his own civilians one way or another almost every day.  Time for him to go.  I'm 100% against war, but 100% in support of protecting innocent civilians from brutal dictators like this.  Time to end the suffering in Syria.

 

It will be interesting to see what Turkey has:

http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/05/middleeast/syria-airstrike-idlib-how-it-unfolded/index.html

 

Quote

 

WEDNESDAY: Turkey says it has evidence of chemical attack

Recep Akdag, Turkey's Health Minister, tells Turkish media: ''We have findings that suggest there was a chemical attack. We are sending these findings to World Health Organization as well after documenting them. Humanity should not remain insensitive to this issue."

 

 

No matter how it unfolded, time for this mess to end.

[Rob13]

Everything going over there is a problem. and  more the US digs in the bigger it'll get. With trump as pres, going after Assad would become a a another quagmire worse than the one in Iraq. 

[daveAustin]

If Russia is making noise that Assad didn't do it, you can safely bet the other way. He needs removing, but the problem is you end up with another Iraq/Libya, etc

Edited April 7, 2017 by daveAustin

[edwinchester]

What on earth is he about to do to that microphone?

[steven100]

Just now, craigt3365 said:

Will it make it better or worse?

well it couldn't be much worse ...........   so if they just get rid of him .. at least try something new.

[whatawonderfulday]

54 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

If Russia is making noise that Assad didn't do it, you can safely bet the other way. He needs removing, but the problem is you end up with another Iraq/Libya, etc

Actually possibly a worse case scenario than Iraq/Libya.   As the Russians always have supported Assad, any US action to take him out could directly bring them into conflict with the Americans.

 

I am going to start stocking up my gold reserves as the price may well soon rocket.  Russia v US in the Middle East and China v US in Korea.  Could be a rocky 2017 for the world.

[Scott]

An off-topic post from a questionable source has been removed.  

[boomerangutang]

Trump will probably order a cruise missile strike against the military airfield from where the Syrian attack was launched.

 

In the bigger picture, Trump is in waaaaaay over his head.  He's slow to act.  He acts on flawed data (Fox news, Alt-right conspiracy shouters, etc).   The State Dept is understaffed, and the only appointed member there (Tillerson) is like a sleepy hound dog; "Um, what happened? Oh, problem in Syria? Umm, maybe we should do something.  Maybe not.  I don't know.  Where's my coffee and box of donuts?"

[deepinlaos]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

I'm inclined to believe that one of the buildings which was bombed was full of this 'gas' in storage in a rebel area and released by the destruction of the bombing raid.

 

Assad is an ass but he's not dumb, whoever dropped those bombs blew up an illegal weapons cache which caused large scale poisoning.

 

correct!......

 

the western gov's have a lot to gain by blaming it on him

 

 

 

 

[boomerangutang]

                          Not only has Trump appointed his inexperienced son-in-law to be in charge of nearly everything, Trump has also assigned his bodyguard to a top diplomatic position.  The bodyguard (dressed in sweats) is seen sitting at the table, negotiating with top Iraqi leaders.  Which of those two has any experience in international affairs?  Neither.  They probably don't know the difference between Russia's Georgia and the US state of the same name.  What's next, Meatloaf as head of Joint Chiefs of Staff?

 

 

[SheungWan]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

I'm inclined to believe that one of the buildings which was bombed was full of this 'gas' in storage in a rebel area and released by the destruction of the bombing raid.

 

Assad is an ass but he's not dumb, whoever dropped those bombs blew up an illegal weapons cache which caused large scale poisoning.

The fake news messages on social media now in overdrive.

Edited April 7, 2017 by SheungWan

[Roadman]

Well done America with the missile attack on Syria. Assad needs removal and if thats means direct confrontation with Putin then so be it.

 

[Roadman]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

I'm inclined to believe that one of the buildings which was bombed was full of this 'gas' in storage in a rebel area and released by the destruction of the bombing raid.

 

Assad is an ass but he's not dumb, whoever dropped those bombs blew up an illegal weapons cache which caused large scale poisoning.

Review the video footage of the attacks as they occurred. They clearly show the four missiles after denotation and the distinctive smoke difference  between the one with the suspected surin gas as a white mist and the others with typical missile smoke plume. Also afterwards the clear evidence of the missile crater. 

It was Assad and yes he is an ass and also a dumb ass. 

[tonray]

So we lob a bunch of cruise missiles as a show of force. How many times have we done that in the past 20 years....solves nothing. Another meaningless political statement because Russia is there and there is nothing we can do about it.

[webfact]

BREAKING

 

Trump unleashes military strikes against Assad airbase in Syria

By Steve Holland

REUTERS
 

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks about the gas attack in Syria during a joint news conference with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 5, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas

 

PALM BEACH, Fla. (Reuters) - The U.S. military launched cruise missile strikes ordered by President Donald Trump against a Syrian airbase controlled by President Bashar al-Assad's forces in response to a deadly chemical attack in a rebel-held area, a U.S. official said on Thursday.

 

Full story: https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/977334-trump-unleashes-military-strikes-against-assad-airbase-in-syria/

[fish monger]

Two US Navy warships have launched over 50 Tomahawk missiles on Tharat Airbase in Syria, Thursday evening....Assad's days are coming to an end...Wait for it...!

[craigt3365]

23 minutes ago, tonray said:

So we lob a bunch of cruise missiles as a show of force. How many times have we done that in the past 20 years....solves nothing. Another meaningless political statement because Russia is there and there is nothing we can do about it.

Guaranteed this got Assad's attention.  Hopefully, he'll stop this senseless bombing of innocent civilians.

 

Russia was made aware of the attack before hand.  Best if they got out also.

[Stargeezr]

Russia has so many liars in  its  Government and people who represent, who over there can be believed.    I certainly do not believe anything that Putin says,  him and Russian weapons sellers are all after the

money they are making, as well  as his continued being in power.  Time  for Assad to go. Dead or alive.  This dictators just needs to be retired.

Geezer

[elgordo38]

Well you have to give the devil his due on this one. Trump pulled it off. He Tomahawked Assad's airbase the site of planes that dropped the gas he put Russia and Iran on notice that he we will go it alone if need be and I am sure he gave the little kid in North Korea a bad case of the runs. He also put Mr Xi on notice who coincidentally was paying carrot top a visit and had his thunder stolen by this. Talk about loosing face Mr. Xi must feel like his was ripped off and stomped on. Raytheon also benefited they get to restock the number of missiles used and send the bill to Washington. Hurry take a poll the Donald must have come up a few points. Business should also take a jump for the flag manufacturers ooops sorry they are made in China. 

[dunroaming]

WOW!  Donald has stepped up and actually done something about the Assad chemical attack.  My hat goes off to you Mr Trump.  Not exactly a responsible thing to do and it may well just increase the madness in Syria but hey! You can't fault the maverick approach!

 

Clearly this won't have a great impact on Assad's capabilities and it is more symbolic than a move to neutralise him.  Of course ordering the strike without getting the approval of congress may ruffle a few feathers and that will become clearer later.

 

But what now?  The strike in itself won't change anything and maybe this action means that Trump gets pushed into more involvement?

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, dunroaming said:

WOW!  Donald has stepped up and actually done something about the Assad chemical attack.  My hat goes off to you Mr Trump.  Not exactly a responsible thing to do and it may well just increase the madness in Syria but hey! You can't fault the maverick approach!

 

Clearly this won't have a great impact on Assad's capabilities and it is more symbolic than a move to neutralise him.  Of course ordering the strike without getting the approval of congress may ruffle a few feathers and that will become clearer later.

 

But what now?  The strike in itself won't change anything and maybe this action means that Trump gets pushed into more involvement?

Yes he sure did. Its like the old show and tell game we used to play in school remember way back when. Well in this case the tell part was over and it was showtime. 

[SheungWan]

6 hours ago, dunroaming said:

WOW!  Donald has stepped up and actually done something about the Assad chemical attack.  My hat goes off to you Mr Trump.  Not exactly a responsible thing to do and it may well just increase the madness in Syria but hey! You can't fault the maverick approach!

 

Clearly this won't have a great impact on Assad's capabilities and it is more symbolic than a move to neutralise him.  Of course ordering the strike without getting the approval of congress may ruffle a few feathers and that will become clearer later.

 

But what now?  The strike in itself won't change anything and maybe this action means that Trump gets pushed into more involvement?

If one cannot go head on try the weasel approach.

[johnnyonesock]

Its hard to believe how easily many of the above posters are convinced as to Assads guilt purely on what the mainstream media says...there is no hope for humanity it seems

[dunroaming]

1 hour ago, johnnyonesock said:

Its hard to believe how easily many of the above posters are convinced as to Assads guilt purely on what the mainstream media says...there is no hope for humanity it seems

Not exactly.  Assad has a history of using chemical weapons and there are no believable alternatives.  Even the Russians can't muster any real defence, just half hearted denials that nobody buys. 

 

Or maybe you know better?

[JHolmesJr]

Well, since this incident all the news channels have stopped attacking trump. 

 

Bet he has noticed this. 

[tonray]

10 minutes ago, JHolmesJr said:

Well, since this incident all the news channels have stopped attacking trump. 

 

Bet he has noticed this. 

Actually all of the alt-right sites have started calling him a lapdog of the neocon deep state..  Ha ha he can't win

[SheungWan]

3 hours ago, johnnyonesock said:

Its hard to believe how easily many of the above posters are convinced as to Assads guilt purely on what the mainstream media says...there is no hope for humanity it seems

Humanity would indeed be saved if more of us embraced the FakeNews message streams.