Haaretz now reports that the chemical attack that occurred two days ago at a military checkpoint near Aleppo, Syria was likely the work of Jihadi forces in the opposition.
The explosion claimed the lives of Syrian Armed Forces soldiers who are apparently loyal to Assad, and the Syrian government was quick to demand an international investigation of the incident. These two facts would indicate that Assad's forces were not behind the attack.
In addition, from what has been released of the physical and medical evidence, it seems that some of the injuries were caused by chlorine. While chlorine gas has been used in the past as a weapon, mainly in the First World War, the chemical arsenals of nations developing these weapons have for decades focused mainly on mustard gas and various types of nerve agents, which, had they been used last week, would have caused different symptoms that were not observed.
It appears that the target of the attack was a checkpoint manned by Syrian Armed Forces, which reinforces the theory that rebel forces, probably jihadists known to be operating around Aleppo, were behind it. A report by Britain's Channel Four, based on Syrian military sources, claims that the weapon used in the attack may have been a missile carrying a warhead filled with chlorine mixed into a saline solution. The Syrian source also said that a factory that manufactures chlorine is located nearby.
Furthermore, this attack using an improvised chemical device is similar to those carried out on several occasions in 2007 in the Sunni Triangle area of Iraq. This may indicate that some of the same individuals or al Qaeda-linked groups may have been involved.
- MORE -
The Haaretz article continues:
If these claims are true, it would seem to prove that the jihadists have the technical expertise necessary to insert chlorine gas into a warhead and seal it so that the gas does not leak during launch but only upon impact with the target.
Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/...
While not referenced in that or any other major media report, that weapon was an improvised chemical munition of the type used by the opposition on several occasions in the "Sunni Triangle" area during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. A number of jihadi fighters previously part of al-Qaeda in Iraq are known to now be in Syria.
Whatever that thing was, it certainly wasn't a Scud-C tipped with a Sarin gas warhead.
While there are multiple sources that reported the 2007 Chlorine bombings in Iraq, the major media have strangely failed to mention them. Note that Fallujah and Ramadi are strongholds within the "Sunni Triangle" where these attacks initially took place. If the details about Chlorine-based improvised chemical weapons are accurate, this attack in Syria may be by some of the same people:
Chlorine bombings in Iraq - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/...
Chlorine bombings in Iraq began as early as October 2006, when insurgents in Al ... February 19, 2007: A suicide bombing in Ramadi involving chlorine killed ...
Iraq Insurgents Employ Chlorine in Bomb Attacks - New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/...
Feb 22, 2007 – At least three truck bombs in a month have used the gas, which burns the skin and can be fatal after only a few concentrated breaths.
Chlorine Blasts Kill 8; 6 Troops Also Die in Iraq
http://www.washingtonpost.com › World › Middle East › Iraq
Sunday, March 18, 2007 ... The chlorine bombs -- two near Fallujah and one near Ramadi -- left at least 350 people and seven U.S. soldiers ill from exposure to ...
Chlorine bombs pose new terror risk - USATODAY.com
htto:/usatoday30.usatoday.com.../2007-04-23-chlorine-truck-bomb_N.ht...
Apr 23, 2007 – Updated 4/24/2007 8:51 AM | Comment | Recommend, E-mail | Print ... At least five chlorine truck bombs have exploded in Iraq in recent ...
Iraq Insurgents Turn to Chlorine Bombs : NPR
http://www.npr.org › News › World › Iraq
Feb 22, 2007 – At least five people died in such an attack Wednesday, the third in a ... Iraq Insurgents Turn to Chlorine Bombs ... February 22, 2007
Furthermore, it seems entirely plausible that this incident was an attempt by the Syrian opposition or its foreign backers to create some sort of Tonkin Gulf-type incident during Obama's ME trip, manipulated and telegraphed by opportunistic western intelligence and media. The other possibility is an unauthorized strike using a small quantity of some chemical stocks after someone, on one side or the other, got into an unsecured arms depot.
Finally, the incident has certainly become a casus belli, stoking the drive toward greater western intervention. GOP Rep. Rogers, Chair of the House Intelligence Committee, claimed on the CBS interview show this morning that this was an official Syrian military action that raises it as a "red line" violation, justify U.S. military action. See, http://www.cbsnews.com/... That, we now know from the basic facts emerging from Syria, is obviously not any more accurate than the lies told to get the U.S. to invade Iraq a decade ago.
