US Washington Uses Banned White Phosphorus Again:

[AZJoe]

Washington Uses Banned White Phosphorus Again (https://off-guardian.org/2018/09/15/p-is-for-phosphorus-and-for-projection/):

On Thursday September 6th, US Ambassador Nikki Haley warned Syria and its allies Russia and Iran that the US will act if chemical weapons are used against Syrian civilians. On Saturday September 8th, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that US jets shelled the Syrian city of Hajin with white phosphorus.

White phosphorus is a gnarly chemical weapon that can burn human flesh down to the bone. So, does that mean that the US is going to “act” on itself?
Probably not. …

June of 2017, when the US military got caught using white phosphorus in Iraq and Syria after they said they didn’t. Then they claimed they just used it for “smokescreens.”
The US signed a treaty in 2009 with the promise they would never again use the chemical weapon white phosphorus, except when they need to for “smokescreen” purposes. That’s an interesting exception. It sounds almost like a loophole. …

Most recently, it’s been used by the United States against Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria. Israel has used it on Gaza. Saudi Arabia has obtained artillery-delivered white phosphorus munitions from the US for use on Yemen.

Photographs of white phosphorus victims are horrendous. … it can burn flesh down to the bone. The chemical burns as it comes in contact with air … Inhalation of that smoke can cause blistering of the throat and lungs, burning the person to death from the inside. Any kind of significant contact can cause organ damage and possible death. But it sure makes a good “smokescreen!” …

Uncle Sam … you used chemical weapons on Syrian civilians, the very thing you warned Assad against last week. … the use of white phosphorus is terrorism. …

https://img.rt.com/files/2018.09/article/5b955d78dda4c87b798b45f5.jpg

...

Two US jets have bombed a town in the Syrian Deir Ez-Zor province with white phosphorus (https://www.rt.com/news/438008-us-strikes-syria-white-phosphorus/amp/?__twitter_impression=true) munitions, causing massive fires, Russian military has said. Two F-15 jets on Saturday bombed the town of Hajin with white phosphorus incendiary munitions, banned under the Geneva Convention, according to the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria.

[dannno]

Are they sure it was US jets? I thought that was more of an Israeli thing.

[AZJoe]

This is just a continuation of Washington Affair with Chemical Warfare.

Washington Admits Supplying White Phosphorus Weapons to the Wahhabist Saudi Dictatorship
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/09/19/saudi-arabia-appears-to-be-using-u-s-supplied-white-phosphorus-in-its-war-in-yemen/
http://news.antiwar.com/2016/09/19/us-admits-supplying-saudis-with-white-phosphorus-munitions/

Saudi Arabia ... using U.S.-supplied white phosphorus munitions in its war in Yemen … U.S. officials confirmed that the American government has supplied the Saudis white phosphorus … After reviewing a social media image taken from the battlefield that showed a white phosphorus mortar shell, a U.S. official said it appeared to be American in origin …

The Pentagon provides midair refueling for Saudi aircraft and limited intelligence resources to Saudi forces. In addition to short-term military assistance, the Pentagon and the State Department, as well as other Western countries, have facilitated the sale of billions of dollars worth of arms to the Kingdom, everything from hand grenades to attack helicopters.

The United States has used white phosphorus against fighters, including in 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq, and sporadically in Afghanistan over the course of the war there. In 2009, Israel used the weapon [supplied by US] in populated areas in the Gaza Strip.

Images on pro-Saudi Twitter and Instagram accounts show that Saudi forces are using several systems for firing white phosphorus munitions, including tank rounds, mortars, howitzers and rifle grenades. … The most recent footage — posted Sept. 9 — shows a U.S.-developed M198 155mm Saudi howitzer with the telltale sea-foam green white phosphorus rounds nearby ready to be loaded and fired. …

The picture reviewed by the U.S. official was first posted in November 2015 on a Saudi Instagram account and shows the shell with the words “Martyr Jamil Hadi” written on it. The only company with the rights to sell to the U.S. government the white phosphorus round pictured in the image is General Dynamics Ordnance Tactical Systems, according to Marine Corps Systems Command documents …

[enhanced_deficit]

Are they sure it was US jets? I thought that was more of an Israeli thing.

There are unconfirmed rumors that there is no daylight between Israel and GOP-Jarvanka wing. Other rumors suggest US taxpayers give $3 Billion per year charity to Israel to support its military activities.

Dermer: For first time in years, 'no daylight' between US and Israel
Mar 26,2017

[Zippyjuan]

Are they sure it was US jets? I thought that was more of an Israeli thing.

From that Russian Media link:


“None of the military units in the area are even equipped with white phosphorous munitions of any kind.”


http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/11092018


SDF launch anti-ISIS operation on Syria’s Hajin town

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Kurdish-led forces launched operations on Tuesday against ISIS in the town of Hajin, on the east bank of the Euphrates River in Syria’s Deir ez-Zor.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are leading the operation with the backing of the international coalition against ISIS.

The ground operation is the third phase of Operation Roundup that began on May 1 with clearing ISIS from Baghuz, a riverside town on the Iraq-Syria border, and the Dashisha border area to the north.

Last week, the SDF and coalition dropped leaflets on Hajin, warning civilians of the impending military action and advising them to leave the town and avoid ISIS positions and fighters.

Corridors have been opened to allow safe passage of civilians and ISIS fighters and families who want to flee, according to a conflict monitor that said tens of families have escaped.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the SDF arrested 29 militants with their families in the nearby desert. Among them was a Yezidi woman who had been held captive. She was freed by the SDF.

The Observatory also reported “violent clashes” between the SDF and ISIS on the outskirts of Hajin on Monday, noting the SDF advanced on the town under heavy artillery fire.

The offensive on the town “will clear ISIS remnants from Hajin and the remaining Deir ez-Zor countryside east of the Euphrates River,” the coalition announced on Tuesday, confirming their support for their local allies in the operation.

[AZJoe]

Washington Also Admitted Using White Phosphorus Chemical Weapons in Mosul after initially denying it. Washington admitted it used banned white phosphorus weapons, but only used chemical warfare for "smokescreen".

'Staggering' civilian deaths from U.S.-led air strikes in Raqqa: U.N.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-m...-idUSKBN19511O (https://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-warcrimes-idUSKBN19511O)

U.S.-Led Coalition Used White Phosphorus In Fight For Mosul, General Says
In Iraq, the U.S.-led coalition has admitted ... to using white phosphorous during operations in the Iraqi city of Mosul. ...
http://www.npr.org/sections/parallel...l-general-says (http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2017/06/13/532809626/u-s-led-coalition-has-used-white-phosphorous-in-fight-for-mosul-general-says)

"We have utilized white phosphorous to screen areas within west Mosul to get civilians out safely," Brig. Gen. Hugh McAslan



In essence: "We never used white phosphorus weapons." "Oh you caught us with evidence. Well then, time for the "smokescreen" defense. Yeah, that's the ticket. We only used the banned chemcial weapons for "smokescreen" purposes, despite the reality that compared to things actually designed to create smokescreens, white phosphorus bombs suck, and it has the nasty side effect of burning flesh to the bone of anyone caught in the smokescreen."

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/news/f9dc1360-98e5-4c2c-a44e-543284550601


Displaced civilians call on SDF to speed up operations to defeat IS

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Hundreds of displaced civilians from the town of Hajin in southeastern Syria held a protest calling on the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to speed up their operations to drive out the Islamic State (IS), the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Saturday.

They called on SDF to defeat the last remnants of the jihadist group east of the Euphrates River, in Deir al-Zor.

The demonstrators from Hajin went out to Bahra village and the town of Gharanij to demand the SDF to launch a military operation to take control of Hajin and expel IS.

Civilians are growing tired of being displaced and want to “return to their homes after a hard journey of displacement as a result of previous military operations and as a result of the practices of the organization,” the SOHR said.

Hajin is the last strategic point held by IS to the east of the Euphrates River. It is surrounded by the Euphrates on three sides and allows for IS militants to move freely.

According to the SOHR, there were repeated attempts by the SDF to break into the enclave, but IS so far has managed to repel the attacks.

“The Syrian Democratic Forces continue preparations for the final phase of Operation Roundup,” Kino Gabriel, the spokesperson of the SDF said in a public statement on Monday.

“Our forces continue to regroup and take positions with equipment needed and work to maintain stability in the liberated areas.”

There are continued reports that the SDF is bringing massive amounts of troops near the area in order to end IS in the Euphrates Valley.



More at link.

[AZJoe]

And lets not forget this: Washington Using White Phosphorus while continuing to blame Assad (https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2017/07/14/us-bombs-with-white-phosphorous-while-blaming-assad-for-using-sarin.html) :

On June 14th [2017], Human Rights Watch headlined “Danger From US White Phosphorous” (https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/06/14/iraq/syria-danger-us-white-phosphorus), and linked to far more evidence of America’s firebombings in Syria and Iraq …

Usage by America of white phosphorous firebombs, and even of carcinogenic depleted uranium munitions, against populated areas (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/iraq-war-anniversary-birth-defects-cancer_n_2917701.html), is almost routine (https://www.rt.com/usa/377345-depleted-uranium-isis-syria/). As I had documented on 3 February 2015, “Brookings Wants More Villages Firebombed In Ukraine’s ‘Anti Terrorist Operation’” (http://rinf.com/alt-news/breaking-news/brookings-wants-villages-firebombed-ukraines-anti-terrorist-operation/), … But, this time, it’s America’s own firebombing (and (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/20/iraq-war-anniversary-birth-defects-cancer_n_2917701.html) depleted-uranium bombing (https://www.rt.com/usa/377345-depleted-uranium-isis-syria/)) of Raqqa, and of Mosul (https://www.strategic-culture.org/news/2017/07/11/mosul-liberated-what-next.html) … the U.S. even admits to having done it. …

871331640630530050

872911900727808000

Here’s a video of that firebombing in Mosul Iraq on June 3rd:
https://twitter.com/FazelHawramy/status/871331640630530050

https://twitter.com/FazelHawramy/status/871331640630530050
The other examples are in Raqqa Syria. Here’s one of the Syria videos from June 8th:
https://twitter.com/Raqqa_SL/status/872911900727808000

https://twitter.com/Raqqa_SL/status/872911900727808000
Here’s another:
https://www.facebook.com/Raqqa.Sl/videos/1576588162352429/

https://www.facebook.com/Raqqa.Sl/videos/1576588162352429/
Here’s another, the next day:
https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-us-warplanes-bomb-isis-neighborhoods-raqqa-illegal-incendiary-airstrikes/

https://www.almasdarnews.com/article/video-us-warplanes-bomb-isis-neighborhoods-raqqa-illegal-incendiary-airstrikes/
And then another video later during that June 9th firebombing-series: web-beta.archive.org (https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20170611043038/https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HKSL46Jeh0)

web-beta.archive.org (https://web-beta.archive.org/web/20170611043038/https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HKSL46Jeh0),
And that last video also shows repeat firebombings by the U.S. there, and also some close-ups of the raging fires that night there …

[AZJoe]

“None of the military units in the area are even equipped with white phosphorous munitions of any kind.” - Commander Sean Robinson

What? A denial by the repeat offender?
So the same government of perpetual lies, that lies to get into war, lies to perpetuate war, lies for regime change, that violates international law repeatedly, violates national sovereignty continuously, that sponsors terrorist proxies and funds regime change, that implements worldwide drone assassinations;
The same government that still maintains at least 3,000 tons (the amount it admits to) chemical weapons stockpiles in violation of the chemical weapons convention;
The same government that was caught previously repeatedly lying about possessing white phosphorus chemical weapons, lying about using them, lying about supplying them to other regimes;
The same government that once caught with verifiable evidence, admitted to lying, but made up excuses for using banned chemcial weapons;

That same government must now definitely be telling the truth. Must take it at its word.

[Zippyjuan]

What? A denial by the repeat offender?
So the same government of perpetual lies, that lies to get into war, lies to perpetuate war, lies for regime change, that violates international law repeatedly, violates national sovereignty continuously, that sponsors terrorist proxies and funds regime change, that implements worldwide drone assassinations;
The same government that still maintains at least 3,000 tons (the amount it admits to) chemical weapons stockpiles in violation of the chemical weapons convention;
The same government that was caught previously repeatedly lying about possessing white phosphorus chemical weapons, lying about using them, lying about supplying them to other regimes;
The same government that once caught with verifiable evidence, admitted to lying, but made up excuses for using banned chemcial weapons;

That same government must now definitely be telling the truth. Must take it at its word.

You expect us to take Syria at their word that the US used them in the OP claimed incident without any evidence when they have repeatedly lied and used chemical weapons on their own citizens and bombed schools and hospitals (actually most of the bombing was done by Russia)? Half a million dead? Millions more displace and their homes destroyed?

I am against any country using chemical weapons .

More articles by the person who wrote the OP-Ed linked to in the OP headline: https://medium.com/@hopekesselring70

https://medium.com/@hopekesselring70/butterfly-activism-265910c55c68


Butterfly Activism

This morning I fixed my coffee and looked at the news. Apparently, rappers Cardi B and Nicki Minaj got into a fight at Fashion Week.

I had never heard of Cardi B until last April when her debut album, Invasion of Privacy, appeared on the trending page of Twitter with a cute emoji hashtag. I found some links to articles about particularly egregious corporate & governmental surveillance abuse and posted them with Cardi B’s hashtag because that is just the kind of person I am.

But it turns out that I might not have ever even heard about Cardi B at all if she hadn’t been fired from a Bronx grocery store when she was a teenager. This set off a chain of events, including exotic dancing and Instagramming, that led to the Fashion Week altercation.

You could call it the Cardi Butterfly Effect.

More at link.

[pcosmar]

You expect us to take Syria at their word that the US used them in the OP claimed incident without any evidence when they have repeatedly lied and used chemical weapons on their own citizens and bombed schools and hospitals (actually most of the bombing was done by Russia)? Half a million dead? Millions more displace and their homes destroyed?



Got any evidence of this Lie.?

I did not think so Zippy.. You have gone from Comedy relief to full blown LIAR.

[oyarde]

Back in the day its use was pretty unique to heavy artillery and could be used anytime it was deemed necessary by the Forward Observer on the ground.

[Zippyjuan]

Got any evidence of this Lie.?

I did not think so Zippy.. You have gone from Comedy relief to full blown LIAR.

Which part is a lie? Chemical attacks? Bombing schools and hospitals? Half a million dead?

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/04/14/evidence-shows-syria-attacked-people-chemical-weapons-say-us/

https://www.dw.com/en/report-more-than-160-chemical-attacks-documented-in-syria/a-19114798

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/20/world/middleeast/un-syria-eastern-ghouta.html

https://news.sky.com/story/chemical-attacks-in-syria-a-deadly-history-11323747

[juleswin]

Zippy may not agree with trump 99% of the time, but bet your ass he would be on the Trump bandwagon whenever he is busy doing the work of the neocons. You can set your clock to Zippy acting this way.

[timosman]

Zippy may not agree with trump 99% of the time, but bet your ass he would be on the Trump bandwagon whenever he is busy doing the work of the neocons. You can set your clock to Zippy acting this way.

Hi pot, meet kettle. :cool:

[pcosmar]

Which part is a lie? Chemical attacks? Bombing schools and hospitals? Half a million dead?

https://www.dw.com/en/report-more-than-160-chemical-attacks-documented-in-syria/a-19114798

https://news.sky.com/story/chemical-attacks-in-syria-a-deadly-history-11323747

Yeah both those are full of Saudi Excrement.

Been following and watching closely as A Turkish built terrorist TUNNEL SYSTEM WAS BLASTED... AND CALLED A HOSPITAL.

Been watching The White Helmets Branch of Al-CIAda sets up and films events that never happened.
and one comming

Watched as FUKUS launched a strike that was 100% intercepted.

I am watching Dangerous Stupid.

[Zippyjuan]

Yeah both those are full of Saudi Excrement.

Been following and watching closely as A Turkish built terrorist TUNNEL SYSTEM WAS BLASTED... AND CALLED A HOSPITAL.

Been watching The White Helmets Branch of Al-CIAda sets up and films events that never happened.
and one comming

Watched as FUKUS launched a strike that was 100% intercepted.

I am watching Dangerous Stupid.

They moved underground because Syria/ Russia was bombing all their other hospitals.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42908711


Syria conflict: Air strike cripples underground hospital

A hospital built under 20m (60 feet) of rock in a rebel-held part of central Syria has been wrecked by a powerful air strike, medical sources say.

They say the hospital in Hama province - regarded as one of the best protected in the country - was put out of service by Thursday's strike.

No casualties are reported but aid workers say it is the worst in a wave of attacks against hospitals in Syria.

Meanwhile the UN says aid is no longer getting through to besieged areas.

It is not clear who carried out the latest strike, but Syrian government warplanes or those of its ally Russia have been stepping up attacks in rebel-held areas.

Both Syria and Russia have consistently denied targeting civilians.

The Al Maghara cave hospital in the town of Kafr Zita was hit by five missiles in Thursday's strike, says the Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), an international coalition of medical charities.

"It's widely believed to be the most secure hospital in Syria," UOSSM spokesman Avi D'Souza told the BBC.

....

Causing such damage is only possible through advanced weapons, such as bunker-buster missiles, the UOSSM added.

"This is the most serious attack in a larger campaign against hospitals," Mr D'Souza said.

The group recorded 14 strikes against medical facilities in Syria in January alone.



https://d3i6fh83elv35t.cloudfront.net/newshour/app/uploads/2016/04/RTX2C2IT-1024x721.jpg

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/29/syria-renewed-bombing-of-hospitals-sparks-human-rights-protests


Syrian doctors decry fresh wave of hospital attacks

Renewed bombing of hospitals in Syria’s six-year civil war by forces loyal to the government of Bashar al-Assad has sparked strong condemnations by human rights groups and despair among local doctors, who have accused the international community of ignoring attacks on medical facilities.

Doctors said four hospitals had been hit over the past week in Idlib, a rebel-controlled province bordering Turkey, and Hama, the scene of recent fighting despite a months-long ceasefire brokered by Ankara and Moscow.

A fifth hospital in Idlib was damaged on Friday afternoon after a nearby residential building was bombed, killing 14 people, local sources said.

“It is demonstrably evident that hospitals are not safe from bombings in Idlib at the moment, and this is outrageous,” said Brice de le Vingne, the director of operations at Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which provides support to one of the hospitals that were hit in recent days.



https://cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/170919154100-03-idlib-airstrikes-0919-exlarge-169.jpg


https://www.nbcnews.com/news/mideast/russian-hand-seen-behind-increased-bombing-syrian-hospitals-n847961


Russian hand seen behind increased bombing of Syrian hospitals

BRUSSELS — In Syria’s bomb-tilled earth, six miles can mean the difference between life and death.

Patients in besieged eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, are trapped so vital medical care often lies inaccessible just across the front line ringing the densely populated area.

“Doctors are standing helpless in front of their patients,” said Dr. Mohammad Katoub of the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), which works in rebel-held parts of Syria. “It is very hard for a doctor when a patient knows it’s a very simple protocol, but because of the siege treatment isn’t available.”

Katoub and other doctors visiting Brussels this week for meetings with European officials told NBC News that bombings in rebel strongholds had spiked since the beginning of the year with an average of one health facility hit every 24 hours.

More at links. And I can find more links if you like.

[pcosmar]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DnKuZ8qXoAEh0BS.jpg

[pcosmar]

Every ISIS Hide hole is a Hospital when the White Helmets show up with the Film Crew.