Russia is trying to "cover up" what happened in the Syrian chemical attack that killed dozens, engaging in a campaign of “disinformation” and pointing to a “clear pattern of deflecting blame,” senior administration officials said.
In the wake of the attacks, Russia attempted to shift the blame, suggesting that a terrorist warehouse containing chemical weapons was struck during a Syrian airstrike. The Syrian government also denied using chemical weapons.
“This is an opportunity for Russia to choose to stop their campaign of disinformation,” a senior administration official said in a clear shot across the bow against Russia, just ahead of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s meeting with Russia’s foreign minister.
Senior administration officials briefed reporters at the White House Tuesday afternoon on newly declassified intelligence that they said disproves Russian claims that the Assad regime did not launch the chemical attack in Northern Syria last week.
“We are very confident that terrorists or non-state actors did not commit the attack,” a senior administration official said, noting that those actors do not have sarin gas.
According to the senior administration officials, the information declassified today shows there is no evidence of an explosion, but there is evidence of “leakage” that would occur after chemical weapons were dropped.
“I think it’s clear that the Russians are trying to cover up what happened there,” one senior administration official said.
It was unclear, however, if Syria still had chemical weapons.
“We take very seriously the possibility that Syria may have additional agents elsewhere,” an official said. But the official did point out that after a 2013 agreement, Syria “gave up a huge amount” and there was a “huge effort” to remove and destroy them.
The officials reiterated that the U.S. has not yet reached a conclusion about whether Russia may have known about the attack but noted the history of close cooperation between the two militaries.
“Considering the fact that there were Russian forces located with Syrian forces at the Syria airfield and in addition to many other installations, many other Syrian regime installations around the country, we do think that it is a question worth asking the Russians -- about how is it possible that their forces were located with the Syrian forces that planned, prepared, and carried out this chemical weapon attack at the same instillation and did not have foreknowledge,” the official said.
The officials also detailed the body of evidence that last Tuesday’s attack utilized sarin, based on the hundreds of accounts of victims and symptoms consistent with the nerve agent.
They said victims had miosis (or constriction of the pupils), frothing at the mouth and nose and twitching. And secondary responders also showed symptoms and showed no other wounds suggesting a conventional attack, the officials said.
In a detailed account of the attack, officials said Su22 (Russian-made) fighter jets flying out of Shayrat airbase were in the area of Khan Shaykhun at the time of the attack, 6:55 am April 4, then left the area right after.
They also added personnel “historically associated with chemical weapons programs” were spotted at the airbase in March for preparations, then seen again there on the day of the attack.
from ABC News: Politics http://ift.tt/2p266Vm
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