August 21, 2013

Syrian opposition activists have accused the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of launching rockets with toxic chemical weapons into suburbs east of Damascus this morning as part of a major bombardment on rebel forces. The main opposition alliance claims that more than 1,000 people were killed in the attacks. Amateur videos downloaded onto the Internet show people going into convulsions. Dozens of bodies, including those of small children, are shown laid out on the floor of a clinic with no visible signs of injuries.

While the claims have not been independently confirmed, a doctor treating the injured did inform a BBC correspondent that the cause of death appears to be suffocation, with signs of foaming at the mouth. “There are some kinds of symptoms that tell us that this is phosphorus, which is a chemical weapon. It may be sarin, most probably it’s sarin,” noted the doctor, Ghazwan Bwidany.

A Syrian army spokesperson denied the accusations. He accused the opposition of inventing the story in an attempt to divert attention from the huge losses rebel forces had suffered recently.

A United Nations weapons inspector. (Reuters/Getty Images)

British Foreign Secretary William Hague and French President Francois Hollande have asked that United Nations (UN) weapons inspectors be allowed access to the area. Both Hague and Hollande stated that their respective UN ambassadors would raise the issue of chemical weapon use in the Syrian Civil War in the Security Council. The Security Council responded by scheduling an emergency meeting today.

Additional World Book articles:

• Syria: The Roots of Rebellion (a special report)
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Syria 2012 (a Back in Time article)

June 14, 2013

The government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a statement yesterday dismissing as “a caravan of lies” claims that his military had used chemical weapons on rebel forces. The statement came soon after the administration of President Barack Obama announced that the United States will give rebels “direct military aid” in the form of weapons. President Obama made that decision after U.S. intelligence agencies concluded Syrian forces under Assad were, in fact, using chemical weapons, including the nerve gas sarin, against the opposition. Sarin is a nerve agent 20 times as deadly as cyanide. It was one of a group of nerve agents Hitler had German scientists invent in preparation for World War II.

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has been accused by U.S. officials of using chemical weapons against rebels challenging his rule. (AP/Wide World)

On June 13, the United Nations (UN) reported that at least 93,000 people have been killed in Syria since the start of the conflict in March 2011. More than 80 percent of those killed were men. However, the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights has documented the deaths of more than 1,700 children under the age of 10. The office has also uncovered evidence that Assad’s forces have tortured and executed children.

Additional World Book articles:

• Syria: The Roots of Rebellion (a special report)
• The Middle East: From Fall to Spring (a special report)
• Syria 2011 (a Back in Time article)
• Syria 2012 (a Back in Time article)