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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsDirect link between Assad and gas attack elusive for U.S.
(Reuters) - With the United States threatening to attack Syria, U.S. and allied intelligence services are still trying to work out who ordered the poison gas attack on rebel-held neighborhoods near Damascus.
No direct link to President Bashar al-Assad or his inner circle has been publicly demonstrated, and some U.S. sources say intelligence experts are not sure whether the Syrian leader knew of the attack before it was launched or was only informed about it afterward.
While U.S. officials say Assad is responsible for the chemical weapons strike even if he did not directly order it, they have not been able to fully describe a chain of command for the August 21 attack in the Ghouta area east of the Syrian capital.
It is one of the biggest gaps in U.S. understanding of the incident, even as Congress debates whether to launch limited strikes on Assad's forces in retaliation.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/07/us-syria-crisis-attack-idUSBRE98603A20130907?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&dlvrit=992637
Tx4obama
(36,974 posts)morningfog
(18,115 posts)David__77
(23,311 posts)He was fired from his position way back then. More than likely he'd been under house arrest since then, and managed to escape:
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ar&u=http://aawsat.com/details.asp%3Fsection%3D4%26article%3D634928%26issueno%3D11942&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%25D8%25B9%25D9%2584%25D9%258A%2B%25D8%25AD%25D8%25A8%25D9%258A%25D8%25A8%2B%25D9%2585%25D8%25AD%25D9%2585%25D9%2588%25D8%25AF%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1147%26bih%3D531
Rosa Luxemburg
(28,627 posts)fujiyama
(15,185 posts)I think it's weaker today than it was a week ago.
morningfog
(18,115 posts)fujiyama
(15,185 posts)The whole "post 9/11 era" may be officially over. Talking points about WMD and scary dictators just aren't very effective anymore.
Scootaloo
(25,699 posts)if the president tries to link 9/11 and Assad between now and then... I think I'm gonna give up.
dkf
(37,305 posts)leveymg
(36,418 posts)are thoroughly compromised and dominated at the leadership echelons by Neocons and neo-Interventionists.
It's time to start a massive restructuring of the American political process, if we all survive this.
NYC_SKP
(68,644 posts)...it seemed very plausible.
Did you see this OP?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014588010
leveymg
(36,418 posts)That's a pretty impressive group of sanity.
sabrina 1
(62,325 posts)while unable to determine who the perpetrators are. It makes a mockery of their claim to care about the people. IF they did they would WANT to be CERTAIN they had the facts so that the RIGHT people are the ones they hope to teach a lesson to.
No wonder no one wants to go along with this. Maybe some of them actually do have a conscience.
avaistheone1
(14,626 posts)I was reading tonight about our own history of false flags and it is quite alarming.
One thing is for sure - it is easy to dupe people.
So the takeaway message is let's not be fooled again and get all the facts before we start throwing bombs at anyone.
IsItJustMe
(7,012 posts)Please, give me a break.
morningfog
(18,115 posts)High confidence is not enough. Proof, certainty, would be preferred. This is a decision to kill or not. Innocent people will die when drop bombs. High confidence is just not good enough.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)wars.
IsItJustMe
(7,012 posts)Matter of fact, after doing some research on VIPS, I am now seriously wondering if this is a set up. I read their initial assessment and seen that there was no proof what-so-ever presented and was just hear say.
But then I read their letter to GWB about the intelligence going into the Iraq war and chills ran up my spine on seeing just how accurate they were.
DeSwiss
(27,137 posts)...that people are finally realizing that we've been lied to all along.
- Every step of the way, in fact.....
K&R