Punishing Syrian "Terrorists"

"The attack came as Syrian government loyalists battled to consolidate their hold over what had been the last rebel supply line into the opposition-held east of the city, after the capture of the route on Sunday."
"The outcome of the battle meant that eastern Aleppo is now completely besieged for the second time in two months, and it coincided with the failure of talks between the United States and Russia for a cease-fire deal in the contested city."
The Washington Post 

A young child being treated following apparent chlorine attack in Aleppo, Syria.

Screenshot via White Helmets Youtube video

"A United Nations and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons inquiry seen by Reuters last month found that Syrian government forces were responsible for two toxic gas attacks in 2014 and 2015 involving chlorine."
Reuters

"When I arrived at the market, I started seeing the injured people and noticed that something was unusual."

"The injured did not have any signs of injuries or blood [but were coughing loudly with red, teary eyes."

"From 300 meters from the center of the barrel bomb, I started smelling chlorine, and I realized it was a chlorine bomb." 
Aref al-Aref, Aleppo Media Centre activist 

"It's not nearly as toxic as nerve agents like sarin. It's a choking agent, and if you breathe enough of it, it creates hydrochloric acid," he said.

"Children's lungs are much more susceptible. That's one of the reasons you see much more child casualties than adults."

"The barrel bombs are basically liquid cylinders of chlorine that they throw out a helicopter. You don't even need a very big explosive -- just enough to split the barrel."

"Nothing happened after [the earlier gas attack in] Ghouta. He used chemical weapons, he didn't fall and he's still there [Syrian President Bashar al-Assad]. The fact the international community did nothing has encouraged him and encouraged Islamic State to do the same."

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, chemical weapons expert

sams_usa

Although this latest atrocity committed with impunity by the president of Syria, Bashar al-Assad took place after the meeting between Presidents Obama and Putin, it is highly doubtful the barrel-bombing releasing chlorine gas would not have taken place had the talks at the G20 between the two world leaders succeeded in finding a 'solution' to the brutal civil war that has seen Assad give free reign to his murderously malevolent spirit. Civilian Syrians of the Sunni Islamic sect are, after all, terrorists and that being the case Assad doesn't hesitate to embark on his hideous mass slaughter assaults.

Proving that the distance between himself and the Islamic State in the propensity of each to flout human decency in favour of destroying those they view as enemies are just about equal, other than that though Islamic State does its best to kill as many people as barbarously as they can conceive, they simply cannot match the numbers that Assad can boast. Any agreement that might have been reached between Messrs. Obama and Putin would have had to be agreed to by Syria and Iran, and Syria would never assent to lifting his deadly attacks on the "terrorists" who decry his regime.

The people living in east Aleppo are trapped in the neighbourhood of the city that has always been their home. Some of the children harmed by the gas attack have never known normalcy. They are unable to leave, they are under siege. And on Tuesday the neighbourhood of Sukkari was hit by a chlorine-containing barrel bomb. People were lying prostrate on the ground with no recognizable physical evidence of injuries -- until they began reacting to the chemical that had suffused their lungs. 120 people were hospitalized and were administered aid through oxygen masks.

Children are particularly susceptible to the lingering effects of the chlorine gas and they were in dire distress. A day later, the very same area came under conventional airborne attack, courtesy of the Syrian regime for which no punishment is quite enough to mete out to those who had the effrontery to criticize the Assad government, feeling that Sunnis had the right to civil treatment equal to Assad's supporting Alawite Shiites. Over a period of five years they've had their comeuppance, and it's still coming.

CNN