Moscow and Washington has started a war of words after a reported suspected chemical attack i
n a Syrian rebel-held town amid the calls around the world for an international response to the incident along with the United Nations Security Council meeting.
According to the rescue teams and medics, a “poisonous chlorine gas attack” in Douma on Saturday killed at least dozens of people which includes many children and women. The government of President Bashar al Assad along with its ally Russia has called the allegations “fabrications”.
Over the same issue, US President Donald Trump pledged to soon announce “major decisions” over the attack with the Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin warning against any such “provocation”.
The Kremlin issued a statement saying that the Russian President had held a phone conversation with Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel and during the talk they both exchanged opinions on the situation in Syia, which includes the accusations against Damascus by a number of Western countries for using chemical weapons.
“The Russian side stressed the unacceptability of provocation and speculation on this matter,” the Kremlin added.
The US President Donald Trump has condemned by calling the act as “heinous attack on innocent” Syrians in Douma, while he was opening a cabinet meeting at the White House. He further said that they are ready to take some decisions within the “next 24-48 hours”.
“This is about humanity; it can’t be allowed to happen,” he said.
In earlier comments, Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron had pledged to take a “strong, joint response”. The US defence secretary, Jim Mattis said that nothing was off the table in terms of military action.
Last year, when there were reports of a chemical attack in Khan Sheikhoun town of Syria, which killed at least 80 people, Trump ordered air raids on Syrian government facilities.
“The question now is whether the president will have a similar reaction after seeing similar images coming out of Douma,” a journalist reporting from Washington, DC, said, and said that several emergency meetings along with military and political advisers were taking place in and around the White House on the matter.
Trump had earlier on Sunday, warned Iran and Russia that there would be a “big price to pay” for backing the “animal Assad”.
The crisis was to be an issue to be discussed later on Monday at the Security Council after US started circulating a draft solution for a new independent inquiry of chemical weapons attacks in Syria.
The British prime minister has said on Monday that the Syrian government “and its backers, including Russia, must be held to account” if it is proved to be responsible for dropping chemical weapons on Douma residents.
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