Syria Chemical Attack: US says 'horrifying'; Damascus denies allegations

In the seven-year-old war, Syria has been exposed at least thrice to major chemical attacks resulting in loss of over hundreds of lives.

Image Courtesy: Twitter (@sahloul)

New Delhi: At least seventy people including children suffocated to death and hundreds were reportedly affected after Douma of Syria was allegedly bombarded with nerve toxic agent, placing the strike among the most appalling attacks on mankind this year. The Syrian regime however has denied the allegation terming it as a "blatant attempt to hinder the army's advance" into what the news agency described as a "collapsing terrorist" stronghold. The United States, which had announced its decision of withdrawing troops from Syria the previous week, has come out in strong condemnation of the attack. Pointing out at perpetual rival Russia, the US said that Russia bore some responsibility because of its steadfast support for the Assad regime. The State Department of the US has termed the attack as ‘’horrifying’’. It said: “These reports, if confirmed, are horrifying and demand an immediate response from the international community.” Douma is the last rebel-held town in Syria's Eastern Ghouta. It is reported that a barrel bomb which contained, sarin, a toxic nerve agent was dropped by a helicopter in the town. Despite the denial by the regime, the videos and pictures of the strike have glutted the social media. Images of people (most of them children) with foam like secretion from their mouths and nostrils, lying motionless were all over the social media. In yet other videos, infants could be seen being given emergency breathing assistance. US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement, “we continue to closely follow disturbing reports regarding alleged chemical weapons attack targeting a hospital in Douma, #Syria. The Assad regime and its backers must be held accountable and any further attacks prevented immediately.” “Russia, with its unwavering support for the regime, ultimately bears responsibility for these brutal attacks targeting of countless civilians and the suffocation of Syria’s most vulnerable communities with chemical weapons”, read the statement. Nauert accused Russia of breaching its commitment to the Untied Nations. She said “By shielding its ally Syria, Russia has breached its commitments to the United  Nations as a framework guarantor.  It has betrayed the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118. Russia’s protection of the Assad regime and failure to stop the use of chemical weapons in Syria calls into question its commitment to resolving the overall crisis and to larger non-proliferation priorities.” Syria grapples with the acutest form of what is often termed as civil war although it transcends the brackets of it.  In its seven-year-long gruesome face-off with war, it has been exposed at least three times to major chemical attacks resulting in loss of over thousands of lives.