Donald Trump warned there will be a “big price to pay” for a chemical strike in a rebel-held Damascus suburb that killed at least 42 people on Saturday, as the UK and France called for an urgent meeting of the United Nations security council in reaction to the the attack.
The security council will meet twice on Monday. Russia, a backer of Bashar al-Assad, also called for a session.
The atrocity came amid a barrage by regime jets, helicopters and artillery on the district of Douma, which the European Union said pointed to “yet another chemical attack by the regime” as it called for an international response.
At least 300 people were affected by the gas, medics in Douma said. Many of the 42 who died had been sheltering in the basement of a building that was struck by a projectile shortly after 7.30pm. Ill-equipped local doctors said they treated patients for suffocation, foaming at the mouth, dilated pupils and burned eyes.
Victims of the strike reported a strong odour of chlorine – an industrial chemical that has been dropped by regime helicopters throughout the war. However, Jerry Smith, a former UN weapons inspector who investigated previous chemical attacks in Syria, said the high death toll, the speed of death and convulsions shown by some patients suggested another more lethal compound – possibly organophosphate based – may have been used.
Sarin is an organophosphate chemical that has been repeatedly used in Syria – including in a mass attack on Khan Sheikhoun on 4 April 2017 and in Ghouta in August 2013. European intelligence agencies have gathered evidence that regime officials have mixed sarin and chlorine, which dilutes the gas while ensuring it remains a potent killer – especially if delivered in confined spaces.
Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, described the developments as “deeply disturbing” and urged Russia not to impede an independent investigation. In a call with Vladimir Putin that took place before the attack, French leader Emmanuel Macron had agreed to “put an end to the military escalation of recent months”.
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
