Syrian Air Strikes

[murraymints]

Air strikes on strategic sites just completed ...USA , UK and France led the way it seems...good thing ? What russian reprisals will follow ?

[ichkeria]

The allies will have informed Russia of what they were about to do, I should think. There will be more bluster and nonsense from Lavrov, Yakovenko and co. But they know they are guilty and know we know. Do they laugh at their own useful idiots ever? I’ve often wondered this

[johnny.5]

khandro
you are correct
"All we have seen"
but why we be privileged to see top secret classified gathered intelligence ?
I would like to think those that have made these decisions have seen more credible evidence

[Zacs-Master]

The intelligence services not publishing anything led to the chilcot inquiry. Which then published things a bit too late.
I’m pretty sure MI5/6 won’t want a repeat of that.

[Sqad]

Sorry Khandro........breakfast called.
It is just a "gut" reaction" that i have had about the reassurance of chemical weapons following world wide condemnation of Iraq using them against the Kurds , some 25 years ago.......all seemed to go quiet.
With the Salisbury affair, allegations of other chemical attacks and the theatre of war in Syria, there seems to be an exacerbation of their use.
I agree that my evidence is weak, but my gut feeling is strong.;-)

[Sqad]

resurgence.......not reassurance ^^^^^

[Kromovaracun]

"We must do something" is, in my opinion, a farcical justification. It's very easy to be solemn about the need to 'punish evil' but it just looks absurd when "punishing evil" means that the UK's grossly underfunded forces make a tiny token contribution to an American-led effort purely to say "we're here too!!"

This is a very short-sighted decision. We never seem to learn.

[Khandro]

“Today, the pretext for escalating Britain’s military involvement in Syria is that the Assad regime — the internationally recognised, legitimate and elected government in Damascus — is guilty of a poison gas attack on the citizens of Douma. Film of the aftermath, broadcast across the world in recent days, shows a troupe of very camera-conscious young men washing down the victims, all of whom are children, most of them looking more bewildered than wounded or incapacitated, and without a distressed parent or relative in sight.”

The Morning Star
Not my usual journal, but in this, I believe spot-on.

[Sqad]

Kromo

" a tiny token contribution to an American-led effort purely to say "we're here too!!" "
How do you know that the contribution of the UK was, as you described, tiny?
An insult to the four Tornado crew from Akritiri.

[Kromovaracun]

Why would they be offended by facts?

[Peter Pedant]

// Do they laugh at their own useful idiots ever? I’ve often wondered this// ich

yes deffo - it was Lenin's phrase wasnt it ?
and I dont think he was using it in admiration

well we have had chemical weapons used on our streets (erm Salisbury for slow thinkers) and we do nothing it will happen again

The problem is .... Assad is against the Douma rebels aka ISIS - but gassing them is still not the answer

[Sqad]

Kromo LOL....what facts?....your facts?....official facts?

It seems that you are in possession of vital facts indicating the part played by the tripartite attack force.

[dannyk13]

Sqad, LIke many others on AB Kromo gets confused between his suppositions and facts.

[Zacs-Master]

oooooph! ^^^^ rich.

Defense officials said that Tomahawk cruise missiles were launched from at least three American warships, while B-1 bombers dropped long-range missiles on targets. French and British warplanes also fired long-range missiles, while a British submarine launched cruise missiles.
Credit: NY Times.

[Kromovaracun]

The only reported/acknowledged contribution is four RAF planes with one cruise missile each attacking one target.

Which is... tiny, Sqad. Although probably costs in excess of £3 million.

"We're here too!"

[bhg481]

£3million. 60 million people live in the UK, so that's 5p each. They're welcome to my 5p.

[Zacs-Master]

£35.3 billion defence budget. £3m cost. Mmm

[Kromovaracun]

For reference, aerial defense systems over Damascus destroyed over 20 incoming missiles, USA is estimated to have fired over 100. UK contribution is 4.

"We're here too!"

[Kromovaracun]

//35.3 billion defence budget. £3m cost//

The former is for 1 year, £3m is for what? 6 hours, probably?

[Peter Pedant]

// Kromo LOL....what facts?....your facts?....official facts? //

we have had this quite a lot - did assad use chemical weapons when we were told he had ?

why do we believe 4 tornados and not 15 sopwith camels?

but it extends to all our experience - was little Yulia poisoned ? - was she ever in Hospital ? were there two people ventilated for a month or was it really an empty room. and she just sat at a table drinking tea ?
in all this we have to rely on the words of other people

Oonora O'Neill did the Reith lectures on 'trust' which I dont advise you to read - (120 pages on where does it all end? and alot of 'if we dont trust people we are screwed')