The Case of WMDs: Who Used Chemical Weapons in Syria?

By Sajjad Shaukat for VT

Suddenly tension has intensified between Russia and the US with the order of the American President Donald Trump, when in the early hours of April 7, this year, using the pretext of chemical weapons attacks and blaming the Assad regime, the US warships fired 60 cruise missiles at the Shayrat Airfield controlled by the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces. This was supposedly in response to the deadly chemical weapons attack, which  killed at least 100 people and injured 400 individuals on April 4, 2017 in Khan Sheikhoun town. This town is located  in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, and is controlled by a rebel alliance, which also includes a former Al-Qaeda affiliate.

Regarding military action through strikes, President Trump said that it was a necessary response to an “affront to humanity” after more than 70 people died in a poison gas attack in northwest Syria. He also stated that he took the action because of a “vital national security interest of the United States to prevent and deter the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons.”  But such an action has put both the nuclear powers US and Russia into a risky stand-off.

Here contradictions of the President need attention. President Barack Obama had drawn a famous “red line” in Syria in 2012, warning Assad against the alleged use of chemical weapons. His failure to take military action after Syria launched an alleged chemical attack in the summer of 2013 marked one of his greatest foreign policy failures and became a symbol of presidential equivocation and weakness. Trump was not among those criticizing Obama at the time. Instead, he warned Obama not to take military action, even when chemical weapons had been used.

Similarly, when President Obama hosted the fourth Nuclear Security Summit in Washington on March 31, 2016 to check the spread of nuclear weapons, showing concerns about the ambitions of terrorist groups such as the Islamic State group (Daesh, ISIS, ISIL) in acquiring a nuclear weapon or radioactive material, Donald Trump had taken a different stand in his interview with the CNN by stating, “More nuclear weapons could make the world safer…US can no longer afford to bankroll the defense of its allies in Europe, Asia and the Middle East…Japan, South Korea and Saudi Arabia may need arsenals to confront threats in their region on their own.”

However, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has categorically dismissed any accusations that the Syrian Army deployed and used chemical weapons in Idlib. He elaborated,

“An impartial investigation into the Khan Sheikhoun incident should be conducted on the ground and be controlled by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)…we are against a remote investigation that would be conducted by collecting information provided by the so-called ‘white helmets’ who have discredited themselves by producing staged videos for achieving political goals.”

The Russian diplomat stressed, “We are also against using reports by the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights to make any accusations.”

Both Russia and Syria condemned aerial strikes in Syria as violation of the international law and the UN charter.

In response to American airstrikes, Russia suspended a cooperation pact with the US aimed at avoiding incidents between the two countries’ planes in the crowded airspace over Syria by establishing direct hotlines between their militaries. Russian Foreign Ministry said, “The chemical attack was used as pretext for a demonstration of force.”

Russia’s defense ministry has blamed the rebels, saying a Syrian airstrike hit a chemical stockpile controlled by the armed opposition—Syrian jets are conducting legitimate strikes had struck a rebel weapons facility, while the US strikes are illegitimate. The Kremlin pointed out in a statement on April 7, 2017 that Syrian government doesn’t have any chemical weapons stored—the “campaign” was revenge for military gains by the Assad regime and aimed to “justify hostile resolutions it expects to be adopted at the Brussels conference.”

In a telephonic conversation, Russian President Vladimir Putin told the Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu that it was unacceptable to make groundless accusations regarding the chemical weapons incident in Syria without conducting a detailed and unbiased investigation.

Meanwhile, the UN’s special envoy to Syria stated that an emergency Security Council meeting has been called, while investigations continue into what appeared to be a “chemical attack from the air.”

Some online sources also confirmed that the “armed terrorist groups” are responsible for the attack of poisonous gases in Khan Sheikhoun.

At the United Nations, Russia’s deputy ambassador, Vladimir Safronkov, strongly criticized what he called the US’ ‘‘flagrant violation of international law and an act of aggression’’ whose ‘‘consequences for regional and international security could be extremely serious.’’

On the other side, during an emergency session of the UN Security Council session, Nikki Haley, the US ambassador to the UN said, ‘‘The world is waiting for Russia to reconsider its misplaced alliance with Bashar al-Assad…the United States took a very measured step…we are prepared to do more”.

It is notable that America and its allies such as UK, Germany, France etc. who are determined to oust President Assad appreciated the US missile strikes. Some Muslim countries who support the CIA-Mossad rebels groups and ISIS terrorists also welcomed the missiles attack, calling it a courageous decision by Trump. Iran, which supports the other side of the six-year war, condemned the strikes, describing unilateral action as dangerous.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the US attack and said that “In both word and action, Trump sent a strong and clear message that the use and spread of chemical weapons will not be tolerated.” Syrian rebel groups and ISIL outfit also appreciated America’s aerial attack.

In fact, all these terror-entities and the US-led Western countries, including Israel were greatly frustrated on the successes, achieved by the Russian-led forces which have retaken several regions from the rebel groups and ISIS group in Syria and Iraq. As part of the double game of the US and Israel, American CIA and Israeli Mossad have been supporting the rebel groups and ISIS outfit.

Russia has provided military assistance to the Syrian government since September 2015, turning the balance of power in Assad’s favour. Moscow has used its veto power at the Security Council on several occasions since the civil war began six years ago to prevent sanctions against Damascus.

Now, the US-led countries and Israel are manipulating the chemical attack of Khan Sheikhoun twon against the Assad regime and Russia.

As a matter of fact,  the agents of Mossad who are in collaboration with the CIA sympathizers, Syrian rebel groups and the ISIL militants arranged terror attacks in Paris, Brussels, Orlando, San Bernardino, Nice, Munich, London, St. Petersburg and now in Stockholm.

These were false flag terror operations and were part of the secret strategy and dual game of America, and especially of Israel, who are in connivance with each other in order to obtain the covert aims of their countries against Russia and the Muslims.

Mossad might be alone involved in these terror assaults by using the ISIS terrorists who used the home-grown terrorists of these countries. Hence, chemical weapons attack in Khan Sheikhoun town of Syria is also false flag terror assault which was conducted particularly by Mossad, in collaboration with the ISIS militants or the Syrian rebels groups to reunite the US and Europe against the Assad regime, as a rift has been created on a number of issues between the President Trump and America’s Western allies, especially Europe.

In the recent past, Russian-led forces which re-occupied areas in Syria and Iraq, also recovered huge quantity of weapons and explosives, including chemical weapons from the areas which were in occupation of the rebels and ISIL.

Nevertheless, we need to analyze the case of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in order to know who can use these fatal weapons in future, and to verify with past record of India and Israel who used chemical weapons in Syria’s town of Khan Sheikhoun.

With the acceleration of the different war between the sovereign and non-sovereign entities, dangers are looming that by availing the vicious phenomena of global terrorism, any entity can use Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) inside the US and Europe or any Islamic or Western country to obtain its selfish interests. In this respect, despite having collective aims, some countries are also playing double game against one another.

Since the 9/11 tragedy, while waging phony global war on terror, the US-led Western high officials and their media had been propagating in the world that Pakistan-based Islamic militants can use WMDs or ‘dirty nuclear bombs’ inside the US and Europe. And a plot in this respect would be prepared in Pakistan’s tribal areas. In this context, in connivance with Israeli secret agency Mossad, Indian secret agency RAW intensified its propaganda campaign against Pakistan. But, Islamabad took a temporary relief of sigh, because now, almost every plot regarding terrorism is attributed to Syria where illegitimate interests of Israel are at risk.

It is noteworthy that Indian nuclear weapons and their related-material are unprotected, as various cases of smuggling and theft have verified.

In July 1998, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation seized eight kg. of nuclear material from Arun, an engineer in Chennai, including two other engineers. It was reported that the uranium was stolen from an atomic research center. On November 7, 2000, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) indicated that Indian police had seized 57 pounds of uranium and arrested two men for illicit trafficking of radioactive material. IAEA said that Indian civil nuclear facilities were vulnerable to thefts.

On January 26, 2003, CNN disclosed that Indian company, NEC Engineers Private Ltd. shipped 10 consignments to Iraq, containing highly sensitive equipment, including titanium vessels and centrifugal pumps. Indian investigators acknowledged that the company falsified customs documents to get its shipments out of India. On June 12, 2004, Berkeley Nucleonics Corporation, an American company was fined US $ 300,000 for exporting a nuclear component to the Bhaba Atomic Research Center in India.

In December 2005, United States imposed sanctions on two Indian firms for selling missile goods and chemical arms material to a Muslim country in violation of India’s commitment to prevent proliferation. In the same year, Indian scientists, Dr. Surendar and Y S R Prasad had been blacklisted by the US due to their involvement in nuclear theft. In December, 2006, container packed with radioactive material had been stolen from an Indian fortified research atomic facility near Mumbai.

However, in collaboration with the officials, proliferation of nuclear components and their related-material has continued from time to time by the Indians.

Surprisingly, despite nuclear proliferation by India in violation of various international agreements and its refusal to sign Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and Additional Protocol with the IAEA, Washington signed a pact of nuclear civil technology with New Delhi.

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Regarding Israel, many authors, writers, officials, doctors, experts and reports have proved with evidence that from the very beginning, Israel has not only stockpiled the WMDs, but used them on various occasions.

Israeli military historian Urin Milstein and author Yeruham Cohen write, “In May 1948 the Zionist gangs besieged the well-fortified Palestinian city of Acre…to enter the city, the Zionist gangs injected typhoid in the aqueduct. Many Palestinians and some 55 British soldiers, who were in the city, got infected…the ICRC delegate Mr. De Meuron, sent a series of reports…describing the conditions of the city population as struck by a sudden typhoid epidemic…the infection was water borne…the Zionist crimes did not stop then, but targeted Egypt and Syria, using inhumane weapons.”

In his paper, published in the Non-Proliferation Review in autumn of 2001, Avner Cohen pointed out,

“Israel’s chemical weapon started with David Ben Gurion’s doctrine…the destruction of the Palestinian society in Palestine…to accomplish this…Ben Gurion wrote a letter to Ehud Avriel; a member in the Jewish Agency in Europe, ordering him to recruit European Jewish scientists…experts in microbiology…were recruited to form the Science Corps in the Haganah which later was called HEMED BEIT….publically known as Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR)…was developing chemical and biological weapons in secret…when in 1992, El Al Flight 1862 crashed….on its way to Tel Aviv…in Dutch history killing at least 47 and destroying the health of 3000 Dutch residents….plane was carrying a shipment from Sokatronic Chemicals of Morrisville, Pennsylvania to IIBR, under the US Department of Commerce license, in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC)…140 biological weapon scientists from the IIBR have strong links” with various related-research centers of the US and some European countries.

During various phases of the Palestinian Intifada, Israel used these fatal weapons against the unarmed Palestinians. In this regard, a number of investigative reports, after lab-verification, have indicated severe convulsions, the burning sensation, the difficulty to breathe, the vomiting and pain found in relation to the victims—mostly women and children.

In March 2003, BBC presented the documentary, investigating Tel Aviv’s development of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.

In 2006, during the war against Lebanon, Israel used banned chemical weapons like phosphorous bombs in Lebanon and Gaza, which killed 286 Palestinians and injured 4,200.

In this context, an Italian television documentary programme (Channel, RAI News 24) have revealed that in the 2006 war, Israel employed dense inert metal missiles, which are highly carcinogenic. The documentary elaborated that the doctors observed, “Dozens of victims had completely burned bodies and shrapnel type injuries that X-ray machines had been unable to detect.”

In this connection, American leading media suppressed the real details of the 2009 United Nations (UN) fact-finding report which disclosed as to how Israel’s military used chemical weapons against Palestinians.

In 2013, the US Secretary of State John Kerry accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of using chemical weapons in relation to the Syrian civil war. In order to protect the interests of Israel, in the pretext, America was determined to attack Syria like the invasion of Iraq where no weapons of mass destructions were discovered. But, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Western powers against any airstrike. For face-saving, John Kerry withdrew from American stand, as he could not prove it.

In fact, CIA-Mossad-supported rebels which have been fighting to oust President Assad’s government had used chemical weapons in Syria. While, brushing aside the dangers, covertly, America and its related-industries which are mostly under the control of Zionist Jews have supplied Tel Aviv WMDs. Concealing these fatal weapons, Israel had flatly refused to sign the NPT, and to ratify the CWC which obligates states to submit to international oversight and destroy chemical agents in their possession. While in 2013, Damascus ratified the CWC. As regards Israeli nuclear arsenal, it contains variety of atomic bombs. It also possesses small nuclear weapons.

In 1983, the former Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon suggested India to join with Israel to attack Pakistani nuclear facilities, and in 1982 he called for expanding Israel’s security influence from Mauritania to Afghanistan.

Since 9/11, by availing that golden opportunity, both India and Israel have perennially been manipulating the world phenomena of terrorism and anti-Muslim approach of the US-led West so as to obtain their secret designs. Both Tel Aviv and New Delhi have been equating the ‘wars of liberation’ in Palestine and Kashmir with terrorism, and under the cover, accelerated state terrorism on these controlled territories. Their main purpose is to divert the attention of the west from their own atrocities, while employing delaying tactics in the solution of these issues.

With the assistance of the American lobbies and in connivance with the US neoconservatives, India and Israel have been exaggerating the threat of Islamophobia.

Nonetheless, Tel Aviv and New Delhi have been acting upon a secret diplomacy in targeting the whole Islamic World in general and Pakistan, China, Iran, Libya and Syria in particular. In this respect, by exploiting America’s ambivalent strategy and double standards of the US-led West, both India and Israel have also been propagating that a ‘nuclearized’ Pakistan, having close ties with China is sponsoring cross-border terrorism in Afghanistan and the Indian-occupied Kashmir. And Iran and Syria are doing the same act in Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Israel. Particularly, New Delhi considers Pakistan as its enemy number one. America and Israel are also against Pakistan, as it is the only nuclear country in the Muslim world.

In this regard, similarity of interests has brought Israel and India to follow a common secret strategy with the help of those Americans who are present in the US Administration.

In this context, Indian RAW, Israeli Mossad and some American CIA agents are in collusion, even at the cost of the US global and regional interests.

It is mentionable that ideology of Hindu nationalism prevails in every field at the cost of other minority groups. It is even assisted by Indian defence forces clandestinely. This could be judged from the incident, when on April 6, 2008 in a house of the fundamentalist outfit Bajrang Dal invaded, a bomb went off. The investigation proved that the militants were found in bomb-making.

Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra arrested a serving Lt. Col. Srikant Purohit along with other army officials, indicating that they were helping in training the Hindu terrorists, providing them with the military-grade explosive RDX, used in terrorist attacks in various Indian cities. ATS further disclosed that Lt. Col. Purohit confessed that in 2007, he was involved in bombing of Samjhota express (Train between Pakistan and India in which a majority of Pakistanis travel), which burnt alive 70 Pakistanis.

It is noteworthy that in one of his tapes, LT. Col Purohit said, “One of our own captain had visited Israel”, and demanded “continuous supply of arms, training, an office with a saffron flag in Tel Aviv, political asylum and support for our cause of a Hindu Nation in the UN.” The Israelis, he added, gave “a very positive response.”

Regarding Hindu terrorism, Indian Home minister Sushil Kumar Shinde disclosed on January 20, 2013 that organised training camps run by the fundamentalist parties, RSS and BJP (Ruling party of India) were promoting Hindu Terrorism. He also explained that these extremist parties were behind the Samjhauta Express, Meccca Masjid and Malegaon blasts.

Since the leader of the ruling party BJP Narendra Modi became Prime Minister of India, various developments like unprecedented rise of Hindu extremism, persecution of minorities, creation of war-like situation with Pakistan etc. clearly show that encouraged by the fundamentalist rulers, Hindu extremist parties such as BJP, RSS VHP, Bajrang Dal and Shiv Sena have been promoting religious and ethnic chauvinism in India against the Muslims and Pakistan. Especially, assaults on Christians and Muslims including their places of warships and property have been accelerated by the fanatic Hindu mobs.

In these terms, an attack on the Uri military camp in Indian-held Kashmir, which was also a false flag terror attack, managed by Indian RAW to distort Pakistan’s image and to divert attention from the new Intifada of Kashmiris.

It is of particular attention that on January 7, 2015, two Islamic militants attacked the office of French satirical weekly newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, and killed 13 people on January 9, 2015. Two brothers namely Said and Cherif Kouachi suspected for the incident were killed in a shootout with Police—in a hostage-taking situation. Thus, the gunmen killed total 17 persons. Afterwards, Mossad connections with Charlie Hebdo incident had been exposed by many senior analysts and social media bloggers, as the Zionist groups and Mossad used the episode to punish France on recognizing Palestinian state and to deter other EU countries in recognizing Palestine.

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Similarly, on July 22, 2011, the twin terror-attacks in Oslo, Norway, killed 80 persons. The Norwegian man Anders Behring Breivik, a right-wing fundamentalist Christian, who admitted these attacks was obsessed with what he saw as the Muslim immigration—left behind a detailed online manifesto, calling for a Christian war to defend Europe against the threat of Muslim domination.

Kevin Barrett disclosed on October 14, 2015 through VT, “The official story claims that Anders Breivik acted alone…but survivors of the massacre on Utoya Island, which annihilated the anti-Zionist leadership of the youth wing of the Norwegian Labor Party, reported there were multiple gunmen…as in dozens of other false flag terror operations. The purpose was to punish Norway and its Labor Party for two policy breaches: Refusing to join NATO’s war on Libya, and moving toward a full boycott of Israel.”

In his message, Breivik also favoured the ‘Hindu nationalism (Hindutva)—the anti-Muslim movement of the Hindu fanatic parties.

Although these lethal poisons (WMDs) seem to be mysterious, yet still could be within the reach of some Hindu terrorists with the help of RAW which could also get these destructive weapons from Mossad. Such chemical and radiological materials could have also been smuggled inside India by the Hindu fundamentalists with the covert backing of RAW.

Frustrated in isolating Islamabad, RAW in connivance with Mossad might have prepared a most dangerous plan to use chemical, biological and nuclear weapons inside the US homeland or any major European country to implicate Pakistan for having allegedly used these weapons through some Taliban militants.

Particularly, RAW-Mossad may also employ these fatal weapons against NATO forces in Afghanistan, as India and Israel want to prolong the stay of the US-led NATO troops in Afghanistan which have become the center of their covert activities against Pakistan, China and Iran. ISIS terrorists which are strategic assets of the CIA may be used by RAW and Mossad for employment of these unconventional weapons.

While India, Israel and the US are also playing double games against one another, hence, by utilizing the vicious circle of terrorism, New Delhi can alone use these weapons through Afghanistan-based Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or ISIS which has also been backed by India, and has claimed responsibility for several terror assaults inside Pakistan, including the recent ones.

RAW’s sole aim will be to provoke Americans and its allies against Pakistan which is challenging Indian hegemony in the region. Thus, Indian RAW could create a dangerous misunderstanding in which US could use small nuclear weapons against Pakistan. Otherwise, Islamabad could be asked to rollback its atomic programme.

In the post-terror attacks in Europe and America, by producing anti-Muslim phenomena like the propaganda of the so-called threat of Islamophobia, persecution of the Muslims in the US, Europe and in some other Western countries, Israel has succeeded in its sinister designs. Israeli-led America also got the assistance of its Western allies (NATO) against Russia. As part of the double game, American jet fighters and those of its Western coalition were targeting the ISIS terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Now, Israel has also started airstrikes in Syria.

Most significantly, on January 17, last year, US-led Western countries’ sanctions against Tehran have been officially lifted in accordance with the agreement, signed between six world powers and Iran, whom Israeli prime minister had called a ‘historical blunder.’ In these circumstances, Tel Aviv thought that perhaps America was playing double game with Israel. But, Trump again imposed sanctions, while other Western countries did not follow the suit.

Besides other Western countries, a debate has started between the Zionists and non-Zionist Jews for the two-state solution of the Israeli-Palestinian issue. Even, a majority of the Western countries and their intellectuals have also been emphasizing upon the settlement of this dispute through the two-state solution. Very soon, Tel Aviv will have no other option.

Therefore, to avoid the two-state solution of this old crisis, Mossad with the help of Zionist Jews and some of its CIA sympathizers which might have supplied chemical weapons to the ISIS terrorists or the rebel groups to use in Syria’s town of Khan Sheikhoun can also use them inside the US and Europe or any major Western country with the aim of implicating Syria—and to cause a major war (or nuclear war) between Russia and the US-led NATO, while turning the world to clash of civilizations, especially between the Muslims and the Christians.

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations

 Email: sajjad_logic_pak@hotmail.com

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Sajjad Shaukat

Sajjad Shaukat writes on international affairs and is the author of the book: US vs Islamic Militants, Invisible Balance of Power: Dangerous Shift in International Relations and can be reached at sajjad_logic@yahoo.com

www.pakistantoday.com.pk/author/sajjad-shaukat/