Why assad used chemical

Throughout the presidential campaign, Trump said he wanted to avoid direct U. After Trump was elected, Assad became more confident because Trump had pledged to end U. Assad and his allies have rarely fought directly against the jihadist group, which established its self-proclaimed capital in the eastern city of Raqqa.

Since November, the United States has helped mobilize nearly 50, Kurdish and Sunni Arab fighters to encircle Raqqa, and cut it off from all sides. The offensive is supported by American air strikes and hundreds of U. The Pentagon coordinates with Russian forces in Syria, especially in launching air strikes, and Russian officials threatened to suspend the communications hotline after the April 7 U.

He is writing a book on the proxy wars between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Commentary Updated. It stated that although no one was killed by the bomb, a dozen people were treated for symptoms of chemical poisoning after the "cylinder ruptured and released chlorine over a large area. Symptoms included nausea, eye irritation, shortness of breath, coughing and wheezing, the report said.

It said a helicopter belonging to the Syrian air force's elite "Tiger Forces" had been "flying above the bombed area at the moment of the gas release". The report added that samples collected from the scene were analyzed for chlorine contamination.

Witness statements from victims and medical staff were also collected. The Syrian government frequently claim any chemical attacks have been staged by rebel forces to place blame on the Syrian army. The OPCW investigation said there is no evidence indicating the chlorine attack was carried out by Assad's adversaries. Although chlorine is not an internationally banned toxin, the use of any chemical substance in combat is prohibited by the Chemical Weapons Convention passed in The OPCW oversees its implementation.

It concluded that Syria's air force dropped bombs packed with and chlorine and sarin nerve gas on a village in Syria's Hama region in March Sarin is an extremely toxic and deadly nerve agent.

The "Syrian Arab Air Force, departing from Shayrat airbase, dropped an M aerial bomb containing sarin in southern Ltamenah, affecting at least 60 persons," the first report said. The strategy recognizes that the Syrian armed forces, even with Russian and Iranian backing, do not have the capacity to regain control of the entire country. It also recognizes the fact that the conflict has deepened Syria's sectarian and ethnic divides. It has become existential for all parties.

Sunni Muslims will likely never again accept rule by the Alawite religious minority—Assad's base—that has dominated Syria's government for decades. Alawites, along with Christian and Shia Muslim populations loyal to Assad, cannot imagine surviving under Sunni rule.

The Kurds have taken control of their own enclaves. The country is effectively partitioned and likely cannot be pieced together again.

But sectarian cleansing can provide a measure of security for Assad's sector. The Russians are mainly interested in keeping a regime in power that will enable them to continue using military bases on the Mediterranean, so Russia assists Assad in consolidating his control over a western enclave.

Pushing rebels, including U. But military strategy may not account for the entire explanation. Assad is also playing to an inside audience.

Syria's use of chemical weapons is not a dramatic departure from its previous approach to rebellion. In , Assad's father employed artillery and air power to destroy the city of Hama, a stronghold of Islamist militants opposed to the regime. Thousands—mainly civilians—died in the barrage. The regime was demonstrating the elder Assad's unlimited power to wreak vengeance—a warning to future dissidents that disloyalty would bring terrible punishment.