April 14, 2018

Pentagon has detailed U.S., British and French air and naval forces attacks launched against the Syrian government’s chemical weapon arsenal in retaliation for the use of such weapons on civilians.

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis and Gen. Joe Dunford, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, gave the details in a statement issued by Pentagon.

Mattis said: “As the world knows, the Syrian people have suffered terribly under the prolonged brutality of the Assad regime.

“On April 7, the regime decided to again defy the norms of civilised people showing callous disregard for international law by using chemical weapons to murder women, children and other innocents.

“We and our allies find these atrocities inexcusable. President Donald Trump ordered the strikes to stop the regime from using such inhumane weapons again”.

Mattis said stopping the atrocities in Syria was in the vital national interests of the U.S.

He said the strikes hit Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s chemical weapon research, development and production facilities.

“The strikes tonight were far harder than the ones last year, when the United States launched 58 missiles against the Shayrat air base following a chemical attack.

“Obviously, the Assad regime did not get the message last year,” Mattis said.

The strike was meant to deter Assad from contemplating another attack, and allied forces are ready to continue the action if Assad continued to use these banned weapons,” Mattis said.

He said the strikes now sent a very clear message to Syrian leaders that “they should not perpetrate another chemical weapons attack for which they will be held accountable”.

Mattis emphasised that the strikes were directed against the Syrian regime, and the strike planners went to great lengths to avoid civilian and foreign casualties.

“It is a time for all civilised nations to urgently unite to end the Syrian civil war by supporting the United Nations backed Geneva peace process,” the secretary said.

Dunford said the three nations forces were integrated throughout the planning and execution of the operation.

“The targets that were struck and destroyed were specifically associated with the Syrian regime chemical weapons programme,” the chairman said.

According to him, the first target was a scientific research centre in the greater Damascus area.

“The military facility was a centre for research, development, production and testing of chemical and biological agents,” the general said.

The second target was a chemical weapons storage facility west of Homs, he said adding: “We assess this was the primary location of Syrian sarin and precursor production equipment.”

“The third target contained both a chemical weapons storage facility and an important command post,” he said.

The strikes should result in a long-term degradation of Syria’s chemical and biological warfare capabilities, the chairman said.

“The strike was not only a strong message to the regime that their actions were inexcusable, but it also inflicted maximum damage without unnecessary risks to civilians,” Dunford said.