US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has said American intelligence believes "to some degree of varying confidence" that Syria has used chemical weapons.
It was suspected that sarin gas had been used against rebels, he said while in the United Arab Emirates.
Mr Hagel said the use was "small scale", and did not give details.
The White House has warned chemical weapons use would be a "red line" for possible intervention, but says this intelligence does not represent proof.
Speaking to reporters in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, Mr Hagel said "our intelligence community does assess, with varying degrees of confidence, that the Syrian regime has used chemical weapons on a small scale in Syria, specifically, the chemical agent sarin".
"It violates every convention of warfare," the Pentagon chief added.
The true measure of a man is not his intelligence or how high he rises in this freak establishment. The true measure of a man is this: how quickly he can respond to the needs of others and how much of himself he can give - Philip K. Dick.
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Wow, who saw this one coming?
25 Apr 2013 21:31 #2
One of the largest military exercises in Europe is underway off the coast of Scotland as Armed Forces personnel test their fighting skills.
Royal Marines from 42 Commando emerge from RAF Chinook helicopters on the Barry Buddon training area in Scotland [Picture: Petty Officer (Photographer) Sean Clee, Crown copyright]
Royal Marines from 42 Commando emerge from RAF Chinook helicopters
Involving more than 40 warships, 40 fixed-wing aircraft and 30 helicopters from the UK, the Netherlands, Canada, France, Denmark, Belgium, Norway, Poland, Sweden and Germany, over 12,000 personnel are taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior.
Getting the twice-yearly exercise underway, 7 warships from the UK, the Netherlands and Canada sailed in formation yesterday from the east coast of Scotland round to the west where they will join up with the rest of the task group today.
Events began on Friday at Barry Buddon beach in Barry, Carnoustie, where Royal Marines from 42 Commando launched an aviation assault to practise landing on the shores of a hostile nation and being ready to fight.
Viking vehicles were also brought onto the shore via landing craft from HMS Bulwark, demonstrating how equipment and support could be made available to the marines landed from the air.
For the Commander of the UK Task Group based on HMS Bulwark, Commodore Paddy McAlpine, this is a chance to put into practise lessons learnt from the Royal Navy’s key exercise last year, Cougar 12.
Royal Marines from 42 Commando launch a beach assault
Royal Marines from 42 Commando launch a beach assault [Picture: Petty Officer (Photographer) Paul A'Barrow, Crown copyright]
That exercise, spearheaded by HMS Bulwark and HMS Illustrious, saw the task group work first with the French off Toulon and Corsica, then with the Albanians in the Adriatic.
Commodore McAlpine said:
During Joint Warrior we will practise fighting at sea as well as fighting from the sea. We’ll practise against a demanding air, surface and submarine threat, entering a hostile environment and then deliver our landing force of Royal and Dutch marines to the right area.
Exercises such as Joint Warrior provide us with the scale, diversity and pace that we need to maintain our capability as the naval contingency element of the Response Force Task Group.
The Royal Navy has more than a dozen warships and submarines taking part, including Plymouth-based fleet flagship HMS Bulwark, HMS Sutherland, HMS Montrose, survey ship HMS Echo and submarine HMS Talent.
Portsmouth-based vessels include helicopter and commando carrier HMS Illustrious, which has spent much of the early part of 2013 carrying out aviation training off the west coast of Scotland, Type 45 destroyer HMS Diamond, HMS Westminster and HMS Richmond.
Royal Marines from 42 Commando
Royal Marines from 42 Commando rising to the flight deck on board HMS Illustrious during Exercise Joint Warrior [Picture: Leading Airman (Photographer) Jason Ballard, Crown copyright]
A small group of minehunters (HM Ships Brocklesby, Hurworth, Pembroke and Grimsby) will be providing the mine countermeasures capability and Royal Marines from the 42 Commando Group, operating as part of 3 Commando Brigade, will provide the amphibious landing force.
The scenarios employed will cover a broad range of circumstances including evolving crisis and conflict situations which cover disputed territory, and conventional and non-conventional maritime and amphibious threats such as counter-piracy and terrorist activity.
The scenarios will develop over 2 weeks, increasing in tension and uncertainty into simulated operations and potential state-on-state hostilities.
Aerial support will be provided by RAF Chinooks and ‘Junglie’ Sea Kings of the Yeovilton-based Commando Helicopter Force, plus Sea King Airborne Surveillance and Control helicopters from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall, as well as the Lynx and Merlins of the destroyers and frigates taking part.
Syria and chemical weapons - where have we heard this before?
Is there any way of escaping the theatre of chemical weapons? First, Israeli "military intelligence" says that Bashar al-Assad's forces have used/have probably used/might have used/could use chemical weapons.
Then Chuck Hagel, the US Defence Secretary, pops up in Israel to promise even more firepower for Israel's over-armed military – avoiding any mention of Israel's more than 200 nuclear warheads – and then imbibing all the Israeli "intelligence" on Syria's use/probable use/possible use of chemical weapons.
Then good ol' Chuck returns to Washington and tells the world that "this is serious business. We need all the facts." The White House tells Congress that US intelligence agencies, presumably the same as Israeli intelligence agencies since the two usually waffle in tandem, have "varying degrees of confidence" in the assessment.....
World must act over Syria chemical weapons - Hollande
French President Francois Hollande has said the growing proof of chemical weapons use in Syria "obliges the international community to act".
Oh, thank God for the virtuous international community. I feel so much safer in my bed at night knowing that the international community is bringing peace and harmony to the world. Thank God for this completely spontaneous and not at all planned and completely predictable intervention in Syria.
The true measure of a man is not his intelligence or how high he rises in this freak establishment. The true measure of a man is this: how quickly he can respond to the needs of others and how much of himself he can give - Philip K. Dick.
I totally see your point, in as much as we sell the weapons, so what do we expect? But the point is, we (combined NATO forces) haven't (or at least, it hasn't been published) used chemical weapons in any conflict. So surely, there is an unwritten rule that if you sell chemical, biological or nuclear weapons to a country, they won't be used. It's supposed to be an unused threat (as per the cold war)...
I agree that's a naive position to take, but surely that is the defence.
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Wow, who saw this one coming?
06 Jun 2013 04:17 #11
But then, I forgot, This is all invented by us Western nations (or the Illuminati in charge) and it didn't actually happen... (ie: was invented by them)..
I totally see your point, in as much as we sell the weapons, so what do we expect? But the point is, we (combined NATO forces) haven't (or at least, it hasn't been published) used chemical weapons in any conflict. So surely, there is an unwritten rule that if you sell chemical, biological or nuclear weapons to a country, they won't be used. It's supposed to be an unused threat (as per the cold war)...
I agree that's a naive position to take, but surely that is the defence.
Teargas is regularly used by pigs on their own populace. Teargas is declared as a chemical weapon if used on another country's populace.
I totally see your point, in as much as we sell the weapons, so what do we expect? But the point is, we (combined NATO forces) haven't (or at least, it hasn't been published) used chemical weapons in any conflict. So surely, there is an unwritten rule that if you sell chemical, biological or nuclear weapons to a country, they won't be used. It's supposed to be an unused threat (as per the cold war)...
I agree that's a naive position to take, but surely that is the defence.
NATO's intervention historically has been primarily lead by the United States, the only nation to ever use atomic weaponry (not once, but twice). The list of atrocities and war crimes carried out by Britain and the United States alone is so monumentally long, just in the post-Second World War period, that literally dozens of books would be required to discuss them chronologically. It's hard to say what is occurring precisely with regard to these chemical attacks, but three things can be said for certain. Firstly, if you want a more peaceful world, don't sell weapons all over the world, don't do arms deals with the likes of Saudi Arabia while professing to be concerned about Islamic extremism. Secondly, definitely don't arm Islamic extremists because they form some sort of opposition to the regime that you are supposedly concerned about.
And, thirdly, and most importantly, where is the moral authority of the 'international community'? You could sit here listing the crimes and atrocities of NATO all day long, but, for example, Iraq was absolutely fine until the west decided to intervene. It was a US company, Bechtel, that constructed the factories which manufactured chemical weapons that were used in the slaughter of Kurdish people. Yet Saddam continued to receive British and US funding, support and arms while this was going on because they wanted him to invade Iran. After decades of meddling in Iraq, the place is now completely fucked. I know how much the place has changed because I got to know someone very well who used to live in Iraq, who had been studying for a PhD in mathematics at Baghdad university, but had fled the country. Iran itself was fine until they nationalised the oil supply and Britain and the United States decided to overthrow the democratically elected Mossadegh government in Operation Ajax.
The US doesn't have a $1.3 trillion defence budget so that they can help out poor people in Syria. The reasoning behind what is occurring in Syria, which will be the 81st overseas intervention involving the United States since the Second World War, was explained by Eisenhower:
This doesn't even come close to scratching the surface of the issue. It's not that Assad is a good guy, it's just that what is going on in Syria is nothing to do with NATO. It's an internal matter for the people of Syria, and western intervention has, predictably, only made the situation far worse. As has already occurred in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Kosovo, etc, etc, etc. Any arguments about Assad 'destabilising' the area are pretty laughable considering the conduct of the west in the Middle East, which has hugely destabilised the region, and particularly the vast amount of energy, money and weaponry that has gone into propping up Israel, including allowing them to waive the nuclear proliferation treaties and acquire nuclear weapons, which are constantly cited in the case of Iran. And, again, they claim this moral authority over nuclear weapons despite the US having been the only nation to ever use them!
It would be utterly unjustifiable to intervene in Syria anyway, but France, the UK and the US are all totally, completely and utterly flat broke. Seemingly it's impossible for the government to fund any services properly in Britain at all. Everything is being sold off. Is there money to arm some al-Qaeda sympathisers in a country that few British people could locate on a map? Well, yes, we can afford that, no problem...
The true measure of a man is not his intelligence or how high he rises in this freak establishment. The true measure of a man is this: how quickly he can respond to the needs of others and how much of himself he can give - Philip K. Dick.
Just heard it reported on the BBC that the us will now be giving the 'rebels' military support...
Let's not forget that this has all been planned for years. Anyone wish they'd tried to do summat earlier in this blatant extension of the war on everyone?
"laws are unenforceable if the majority break them."-humanspirit,
"avoid the concept of an ambassador for truth altogether"-gilly.
Just heard it reported on the BBC that the us will now be giving the 'rebels' military support...
Let's not forget that this has all been planned for years. Anyone wish they'd tried to do summat earlier in this blatant extension of the war on everyone?
I still wish I knew what could have been / could be done to stop all the madness.
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Wow, who saw this one coming?
14 Jun 2013 08:24 #16
Just heard it reported on the BBC that the us will now be giving the 'rebels' military support...
Let's not forget that this has all been planned for years. Anyone wish they'd tried to do summat earlier in this blatant extension of the war on everyone?
And the No Shit, Sherlock award goes to....... Alexei Pushkov!
A senior pro-Kremlin Russian lawmaker said on Friday that information on the use of chemical weapons by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces was fabricated and suggested the United States would use it to justify intervention in the conflict.
A U.S. official said on Thursday that President Barack Obama has authorized sending U.S. weapons to Syrian rebels for the first time, after the White House said it has proof the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against opposition forces.
"Information about the use by Assad of chemical weapons has been fabricated in the same place as the lies about (Saddam) Hussein's weapons of mass destruction," Alexei Pushkov, head of the foreign policy committee in the lower chamber of the Russian parliament, said on Twitter. "Obama is taking the same path as George Bush."
Just heard it reported on the BBC that the us will now be giving the 'rebels' military support...
Let's not forget that this has all been planned for years. Anyone wish they'd tried to do summat earlier in this blatant extension of the war on everyone?
I still wish I knew what could have been / could be done to stop all the madness.
Lock the plotters in the tower?
"laws are unenforceable if the majority break them."-humanspirit,
"avoid the concept of an ambassador for truth altogether"-gilly.
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Wow, who saw this one coming?
14 Jun 2013 18:36 #18
We just want to help out the dismal plebs...I mean, the poor, repressed people of Syria – Hague
Foreign Secretary William Hague today passionately laid out the case for arming Syrian rebels in response to the chemical weapon attacks perpetrated by Bashar al-Assad.
“What am I supposed to be saying? Where’s the fucking autocue? Right...thank you.
The international community is appalled by the atrocities carried out by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
That’s why myself and Prime Minister David Cameron have pledged to fully support the NATO effort to remove this dangerous and murderous tyrant.
We’re all terribly concerned about the poor people of Libya here at Downing Street. There’s nothing we like more than the great unwashed.
That’s why we’re systematically dismantling the British economy and, well, basically any state support and services that we possibly can.
We love poor people so much that we’re trying to create as many of them as possible on our own doorstep.
There is no doubt that Muammar Gaddafi presents a great threat to peace and stability...hold on...this is last year’s fucking script. We’ve already fucked Libya up; we’re fucking Syria up now.
Chemical weapons, international community, democracy, blah, blah, blah.”
Hague went on to make further comments, but the accumulated press were unable to corroborate them accurately, as he had his snout in a trough of caviar at the time.
Nonetheless, everyone was grateful that he’d taken a few minutes out of his busy schedule to address the media.
The true measure of a man is not his intelligence or how high he rises in this freak establishment. The true measure of a man is this: how quickly he can respond to the needs of others and how much of himself he can give - Philip K. Dick.
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Wow, who saw this one coming?
15 Jun 2013 06:28 #19
Just been watching the daily dogma b4 work and I have one thing to say...
BBC............ if you currently pay a license fee to them, grow a pair and stop it. Would you pay someone to feed you rat poison? This is what you are doing in terms of consciousness when you hand them your hard earned...
Why oh why can the masses not see it? I ain't accepting its fluoride, edummycation or e numbers.
"laws are unenforceable if the majority break them."-humanspirit,
"avoid the concept of an ambassador for truth altogether"-gilly.
Russia to create Mediterranean fleet to protect Syria
12.06.2013
Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking in front of the military, announced plans to restore the permanent presence of the Russian Federation Fleet in the Mediterranean. Putin believes that such a move is not an act of "saber rattling." The president said that Russia had its own interests in the Mediterranean that are related to the national security of the country. The region is strategically important to Russia, and the country plans to deploy its warships in the Mediterranean Sea on a permanent basis.
According to the press service of the Defense Ministry of Russia, the Russian naval task force in the Mediterranean will include about ten ships of various classes of the North, Baltic and Black Sea fleets on a rotational basis. Depending on tasks, the number of warships in the compound can be increased.
The EPA (environmental protection agency) and OSHA took air samples in the days following September 11th, they reported that they found no excessive levels of asbestos contrary to other findings....
With the anniversary of September 11th literally just around the corner, unanswered questions still remain for families who lost loved ones during the tragic event, as well as from families...
In 2008 the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a series of lower court rulings that restrict the United States Navy's use of sonar in submarine detection training exercises off...
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) website. The same bullshit blather as the OP but worth looking at just for the comments alone.
if you currently pay a license fee to them, grow a pair and stop it. Would you pay someone to feed you rat poison? This is what you are doing in terms of consciousness when you hand them your hard earned...
