Douma chemical attack

Douma chemical attack
Part of the Rif Dimashq offensive (February–April 2018), Siege of Eastern Ghouta, Syrian Civil War
Type	Chemical attack
Location	Douma, Rif Dimashq Governorate, Syria
Date	7 April 2018 06:30 (UTC+03:00)
Executed by	Syrian Arab Army (accused)
Casualties	48–85 killed 500+ injured

On 7 April 2018, an attack in the Syrian city of Douma reportedly killed at least 70 people. It was a suspected chemical attack, as on-site medics said exposure to chlorine gas and sarin nerve agent killed the victims. The attack was attributed to the Syrian Army by rebel forces in Douma, non-governmental aid and medical workers there, as well as by the United States and its allies. The Russian Defense Ministry said the chemical attack did not actually happen and the video evidence for it was staged by British intelligence as a pretext for foreign intervention.

On 14 April 2018, the United States, France and the United Kingdom carried out a series of military strikes against multiple government sites in Syria.

Background

Main article: Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War

The chemical attack in Douma reportedly happened on 7 April 2018. The Jaysh al-Islam rebel coalition controlled Douma at the time. Al-Rahman Legion and Tahrir al-Sham rebel groups controlled the area around the city.

Bashar al-Assad's forces have used chemical weapons in multiple attacks, according to OPCW and United Nations investigations. Human Rights Watch has documented 85 chemical weapons attacks in Syria since 2013.

People reported incidents of chemical weapons use specifically in Douma in January 2018; Russia vetoed a potential United Nations mission to investigate. Two smaller chlorine gas attacks have been also reported in the city of Douma one month before—one on 7 March and another on 11 March. On 18 February, the Syrian Arab Army launched an offensive in Eastern Ghouta in a bid to dislodge rebels and capture the stronghold. The offensive split the Eastern Ghouta pocket into three pockets, two of which were secured via evacuation deals between the rebels, Syria, and Russia. Douma, the holdout, was poised to to be taken by ground offensive after a series of airstrikes.

On 13 March 2018, the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Valery Gerasimov, said the Russian military had "reliable intelligence" that suggested the rebels holding Eastern Ghouta, along with the White Helmets activists, were preparing to stage and film a chemical weapons attack against civilians, which the U.S. government would blame on the Syrian forces and use as a pretext to bomb the government quarter in Damascus. In the event that the lives of Russian servicemen should be threatened by U.S. strikes, Gerasimov said Russia would respond militarily — "against both the missiles and the platforms from which they’re launched". Gerasimov′s statement was interpreted by Nic Robertson of CNN as an indication that the chemical attack in Douma had been planned by Russia in advance as an asymmetric warfare tactic in response to reactions by the West after the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

Attack

The Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, a humanitarian organization that supervises medical services in the region, attributed seventy deaths to the attack. On-site medics reported chlorine gas and sarin nerve agent caused the deaths. A video from the scene showed dead men, women, and children with foam at their mouths. The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) reported over 500 injured people at Douma "were brought to local medical centers with symptoms indicative of exposure to a chemical agent." SAMS also said a chlorine bomb struck a Douma hospital, killing six people, and that another attack with "mixed agents" affected a building nearby. According to the Syrian opposition groups, witnesses also reported a strong smell of chlorine and said effects appeared stronger than in previous similar attacks. Syrian opposition activists also posted videos of yellow compressed gas cylinders that they said were used during the attack. Based on the symptoms and the speed with which the victims were affected, medical workers and experts suggested either a combination of chlorine with another gas or a nerve agent was used.

Aftermath

Further information: 2018 bombing of Damascus and Homs

The day after the chemical attack, all rebels controlling Douma agreed to a deal with the government to surrender the area.

In the early hours of 9 April 2018, an airstrike was conducted against Tiyas Military Airbase, reportedly killing several people. The United States denied launching the airstrike, and an Israeli spokeswoman declined to comment. Russia said Israel was responsible, and that two Israeli F-15I jets attacked the airfield from Lebanese airspace, firing eight missiles, of which five were intercepted, according to claims by Russia. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor, at least 14 people were killed and more were wounded. Al-Masdar News reported seven Iranian soldiers among the dead.

On 10 April, member states proposed competing UN Security Council resolutions to handle the response to the chemical attack. The U.S., France, and UK vetoed a Russian-proposed UN resolution. Russia had also vetoed the U.S.'s proposed resolution to create "a new investigative mechanism to look into chemical weapons attacks in Syria and determine who is responsible."

On 14 April, France, the United Kingdom and the United States launched airstrikes against four Syrian government targets in response to the attack.

Investigation

On 10 April, the Syrian and Russian governments invited the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to send a team to investigate the attacks. The investigators arrived to Douma on April 14, however Russian and the Syrian governments blocked the OPCW investigation team from entering Douma, saying they can not guarantee their safety. Concerns were also raised by US ambassador Kenneth Ward that Russia was trying to conceal the evidence, and that Russia had tampered with the site of the attack to thwart the OPCW fact finding mission; Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov denied any tampering had occurred. On 17 April, the OPCW entered Douma after finally gaining access to the site.

Reactions

Civil society

Several medical, monitoring, and activist groups—including the White Helmets—reported Syrian Army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on the city of Douma. The bombs, suspected to be filled with chemical munitions such as chlorine gas and sarin, caused severe convulsions in some residents and suffocated others. Robert Fisk visited the site of the attack under the supervision of the Syrian government and "drifted off" on his own to investigate on 16 April. He was given a videotape and was told by residents of the city that they suffered hypoxia from dust after shelling by the Syrian government artillery. CBS journalist Seth Doane also traveled to Douma, where witnesses confirmed reports of a chlorine gas attack. The residents also took him to the site of the impact, where the remains of the weapons used to deliver the attack could be seen. Eliot Higgins, a citizen journalist and blogger investigating the Syrian civil war, concluded based on geographical, video, and open source evidence that the chlorine gas was dropped by helicoptors coming from Dumayr Airbase. A journalist on twitter said the corpses of children have been clearly seen on photos made on 2 separate floors in aftermath footage. Placed in position at collection/identification point.

Government

Syrian government and allies

Russia and Iran have said the Douma attack was a false flag attack.

Russia – The Russian Foreign Ministry on 8 April denied chemical weapons had been used, denouncing the reports as another example of a "continuous series of fake news about the use of chlorine and other chemical agents by the government forces". A few days later, the Russian military said members of the White Helmets organization filmed a staged attack, and Russian experts who researched the site on 9 April had detected no trace of any chemical weapons. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said Russia had evidence of the 'United Kingdom's direct involvement' in the organization of what he referred to as 'the provocation in Eastern Ghouta'. On 13 April, the Russian Ministry of Defence said Britain "staged" the attack in order to provoke U.S. airstrikes. On April 16, Aleksandr Shulgin, Russian envoy to Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said he has "irrefutable evidence" that the attack in Douma was staged by UK secret services and “pseudo-humanitarian NGOs” that work under foreign adversaries of the Syrian government.

Syria – The Syrian state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency reported a Foreign Ministry source called allegations of Syria's use of chemical weapons an unconvincing stereotype.

Iran – The Foreign Ministry of Iran spokesman said: "While the Syrian army has the upper hand in the war against armed terrorists, it is not logical for them to use chemical weapons. Such claims and accusations [about chemical weapons use] by the Americans and some Western countries signal a new plot against the government and nation of Syria and is an excuse for military action against them."

France, UK, and US

On 10 April, U.S. President Donald Trump, UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement following joint telephone calls that they had "agreed that the international community needed to respond to uphold the worldwide prohibition on the use of chemical weapons".

France – On 12 April, French President Emmanuel Macron said he has proof that the Syrian government attacked the town of Douma with chemical weapons and at least used chlorine. The BBC quotes U.S. officials as saying urine and blood samples taken from victims have tested positively for traces of chlorine.

United Kingdom – Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said regarding reports on chemical attacks that "these latest reports must urgently be investigated and the international community must respond" and that "investigators from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons [are] looking into reports of chemical weapons use in Syria have our full support. Russia must not yet again try to obstruct these investigations". He also condemned the use of chemical weapons in general, adding that "those responsible for the use of chemical weapons have lost all moral integrity and must be held to account."

United States – President Donald Trump condemned the attack on Twitter, heavily criticizing Russia over it, saying "many dead, including women and children, in mindless CHEMICAL attack in Syria. Area of atrocity is in lockdown and encircled by Syrian Army, making it completely inaccessible to outside world. President Putin, Russia and Iran are responsible for backing Animal Assad. Big price to pay. Open area immediately for medical help and verification. Another humanitarian disaster for no reason whatsoever. SICK!" Trump canceled his trip to the 8th Summit of the Americas, sending Vice President Mike Pence in his place.

On 11 April, via Twitter, President Trump told Russia to "get ready" for "nice and new and 'smart' missiles," adding, "You shouldn't be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it!" Vasily Nebenzia, Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, said the United States would "bear responsibility" for any "illegal military adventure" they conducted. The following day, Trump appeared to soften his resolve, tweeting he "[n]ever said when an attack on Syria would take place. Could be very soon or not so soon at all!" On 14 April, France, the United Kingdom and the United States launched airstrikes against four Syrian government targets in response to the attack.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis stated the U.S. is still waiting on the OPCW investigation, but that he believes there was a chemical attack in Douma. Mattis also stated the reports of sarin and chlorine being used in the attack originated from media and social media reports.

Regional

Qatar – The Qatar Foreign Ministry condemned the use of chemical weapons, and called for an investigation into the incident and for punishment of those involved.

Saudi Arabia – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the use of chemical weapons, and stress the need for a peaceful solution based on the principles of the Geneva Declaration and UN Security Council resolutions.

Turkey – A spokesman for President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said the "Syrian regime must give account for the attacks in various regions of the country at different times,” and called upon the international community to address war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Intergovernment

European Union – In a statement, the EU said "the evidence points towards yet another chemical attack by the regime" and "it is a matter of grave concern that chemical weapons continue to be used, especially on civilians. The European Union condemns in the strongest terms the use of chemical weapons and calls for an immediate response by the international community". It also called for the United Nations Security Council to identify the perpetrators and for Russia and Iran to influence Assad against launching such attacks.

United Nations – On 10 April 2018, the United Nations Security Council failed to adopt three competing resolutions on an inquiry into the chemical attack, with Russia and the United States clashing over the issue and exchanging military threats.

WHO: The World Health Organization released a statement that, with a reference to outside medical sources, said the symptoms described were "consistent with exposure to toxic chemicals".

See also

• List of massacres during the Syrian Civil War
• List of Syrian Civil War barrel bomb attacks
• Syria chemical weapons program