Russia Pushes Story (Mint News) Blaming Chem Weapons Attack On Syrian Rebels (Story Has Some Holes)

[kpete]

The problem for this reporter, however, began with the claim that the rebels had used Sarin gas. Already, I had interviewed someone with close ties to the humanitarian effort in Syria, a doctor who was familiar with chemical attacks. Rather than Sarin, the report given pointed to a completely different chemical agent, Tabun, a nerve agent with significantly lower rates of fatalities compared to other chemical agents. This would explain in part why there were such a high number of survivors. Tabun was last used during the Iran-Iraq war, alongside Sarin. Unlike Sarin, which is naturally a gas, Tabun is naturally a liquid, but can be turned into an aerosol for inhalation. Sarin kills within minutes, while Tabun is a far slower, more lingering danger. During the Iran-Iraq war, the two are used together due to their complementary methods of action, a cocktail mixture of agents designed to maximize their effect. However, the final word on what chemical was used, and who used it, is not due until the United Nations releases their findings.



Doing further digging, the earlier mentioned discrepancy over the reporter came clear. Since the initial release, Mint Press News has edited the article, making clear that the piece was written by Yahya Ababneh and not Dale Gavlak. Even more concerning, this appears to have been the sole piece ever written by Yahya Ababneh for the Mint Press News. Mr. Ababnah had previously written for other news agencies, ones which had praised the 9/11 attacks. The question comes, why would the leadership of the Syrian opposition speak to a journalist which worked for news agencies tied to propaganda, now working for a Minnesota news company which only came into existence less than 2 years ago?

Now, it is quite plausible for the Saudis to supply the rebels with weapons, given the bad blood between the Syrian regime and the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia had already been found to be applying pressure on Jordan to allow the rebels to operate out of its territory, a move which would inflame the conflict and potentially spread to Syria’s neighbor to the south. But would they introduce chemical weapons in to such a scenario? And if so, why this particular chemical weapon?

More plausible, should the weapons have been used by either side, their more likely source would be the stolen store of chemical weapons from Saddam Hussein. His regime already had developed the nerve agent cocktail which would fit the profile put forth. It is known that his storage facilities and factories for chemical weapons were looted following the US invasion. It is not a difficult jump to imagine those winding up in Syria, and available to either side of the conflict.



Read more: http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/09/02/russia-pushes-story-attempting-to-blame-chemical-weapons-attack-on-syrian-rebels/#ixzz2dmmWP5AI

[vdogg]

1. Feel that chill in the air?

Seems as though another Cold War is afoot. I really hope that we can take a step back and take a look at what is really at stake. I agree there should be a response, but not at risk of wider conflict.