The US has carried out a missile attack against targets in Syria in response to a suspected chemical weapons attack on a rebel-held town in Idlib province. A Pentagon official said, US warships launched between 50 to 60 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Shayrat Airfiled where the warplanes that carried out the chemical attacks were based.
Press Secretary Captain Jeff Davis said that the strike was intended to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again. He said, the Russian military, which is supporting the Syrian government, had been informed ahead of the US attack.
US President Donald Trump said in Florida, where he met Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump that he ordered targeted missile strikes. Mr. Trump appealed to all civilised nations to join America to end the bloodshed in the war-torn country.
Syria’s opposition National Coalition hailed the strike and urges Washington to neutralise Assad’s ability to carry out air raids.
The Governor of Homs province,where the Shayrat base is located said that the strike has caused several deaths. He said the forces present at the air base were providing important support in the battle against the Islamic State group in the Palmyra region.
Meanwhile, Russia says, it will demand urgent UN Security Council meeting in connection with US missile strike in Syria. The Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Committee on Defense and Security,Victor Ozerov stressed that military cooperation between Russia and the United States could be at risk because of the strike as US had failed to communicate properly on the matter.
The suspected chemical attack left at least 86 people dead including women and children in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun in northwestern Syria. The Syrian army denied that it had used chemical weapons against Khan Sheikhun.
The Syrian army says six people were killed in the US strike on the military airfield. The Governor of the Syrian city of Homs,Talal Barazi said several people injured in a village near teh Shayarat airbase. UK based monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has also confirmed the casualty and said the strike almost completely destroyed the facility.
An Airfield staffer said, the military base has been destroyed and its aircraft damaged in US missile strikes. Syrian television also reports that flames continue to engulf the airfield following the attack.
Meanwhile, Russia says, it has suspended its memorandum of understanding on air safety over Syria with the United States following the deadly US missile attack on the Sha’irat airfield. Russian Foreign Ministry today said in a statement that the memorandum on the prevention of incidents and ensuring air safety during operations in Syria reached with the US is suspended.
