{"id":3185,"date":"2013-09-02T22:54:51","date_gmt":"2013-09-02T20:54:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.luxorbis.org\/friedensplattform.at\/?p=3185"},"modified":"2013-09-02T22:54:51","modified_gmt":"2013-09-02T20:54:51","slug":"syrian-rebels-admit-to-being-behind-chemical-weapons-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/?p=3185","title":{"rendered":"Syrian rebels admit to being behind chemical weapons attack"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"ex-article-related-topics tag-set\">\n<h2 class=\"node__title\">Members of the Syrian rebel movement have admitted that they were behind the Aug. 21 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/chemical-weapon-attack-allegedly-launched-syria\">chemical weapons attack<\/a> near Damascus,<!--more--><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"inset promoted-media \">\n<div class=\"media media--vertical\">\n<div class=\"media__img sticker-container\">\n<div class=\"media__body\">\n<div class=\"media__credit\">Alex Wong\/Getty Images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"media author-block news\">\n<div class=\"media__img\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn2-b.examiner.com\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/square_thumb_medium\/hash\/83\/a5\/83a5efc0a2080af8a92a47e1e37fa3b4.jpg?itok=8JXqO7cd\" alt=\"\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"media__body\">\n<div class=\"author-block__byline\"><a class=\"author-block__name\" href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/government-in-national\/ryan-keller\">Ryan Keller<\/a><a class=\"author-block__title\" href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/government-in-national\/ryan-keller\">Government Examiner<\/a><\/div>\n<ul class=\"author-block__links list list--series\">\n<li class=\"0 first\"><a class=\"ocmap ocm-newsletter author-newsletter icon icon--inline icon--social icon--newsletter overlay catch\" href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/user\/3847026\/11976321\/subscribe?destination=node\/65341421&amp;render=overlay\">Subscribe<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"follow\"><span>Follow: <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"date date--created\">August 30, 2013<\/div>\n<div class=\"fb-like fb_edge_widget_with_comment fb_iframe_widget\"><span style=\"height: 20px; width: 71px;\"> <\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"article__body\">\n<p>Minnesota&#8217;s <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mintpressnews.com\/witnesses-of-gas-attack-say-saudis-supplied-rebels-with-chemical-weapons\/168135\/\">Mint Press News<\/a> reported on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>According to the report, the chemicals were provided by Saudi Prince  Bandar bin Sultan, who \u201chas been at the very heart of the push for war  by the U.S. against Assad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The group Doctors Without Borders went to the town of Ghouta, where  more than 350 people were killed as a result of the chemical attack.  After interviewing \u201cnumerous&#8230;doctors, Ghouta residents, rebel fighters  and their families,\u201d the group obtained testimony that the attack was a  result of mismanagement and ignorance on the part of the rebels, who  didn&#8217;t realize that they had chemical weapons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy son came to me two weeks ago asking what I thought the weapons  were that he had been asked to carry,\u201d the Mint Press quotes Abu  Abdel-Moneim, the father of a rebel who was killed in a tunnel during  the chemical attack.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the weapons had a &#8222;tube-like structure,&#8220; and others resembled a &#8222;huge glass bottle,&#8220; Abdel-Moneim said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey didn\u2019t tell us what these arms were or how to use them,\u201d said a  female rebel, referred to as &#8222;K&#8220; to protect her identity. \u201cWe didn\u2019t  know they were chemical weapons. We never imagined they were chemical  weapons.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen Saudi Prince Bandar gives such weapons to people, he must give  them to those who know how to handle and use them,\u201d K continued.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJabhat al-Nusra militants do not cooperate with other rebels, except  with fighting on the ground,&#8220; another rebel called J added. &#8222;They do  not share secret information. They merely used some ordinary rebels to  carry and operate this material.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe were very curious about these arms. And unfortunately, some of  the fighters handled the weapons improperly and set off the explosions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Jabhat al-Nusra is a branch of al Qaeda from Iraq comprised of  members who fought and killed American troops during the U.S. occupation  of that country.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the admission from these rebels, the Obama administration  continues to claim that the Bashar al-Assad regime was behind the  attack.<\/p>\n<p>In an address from the State Department on Friday, Secretary of State  John Kerry accused Assad of committing a \u201ccrime against humanity\u201d and  claimed that the U.S. government knows that Assad was behind the attack.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know that for three days before the attack, the Syrian regime\u2019s  chemical weapons personnel were on the ground in the area, making  preparations,\u201d <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/news.yahoo.com\/kerry--assad-guilty-of--crime-against-humanity--172714826.html\">Kerry said<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd we know that the Syrian regime elements were told to prepare for  the attack by putting on gas masks and taking precautions associated  with chemical weapons. We know that these were specific instructions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know where the rockets were launched from, and at what time. We  know where they landed, and when. We know rockets came only from  regime-controlled areas and went only to opposition-controlled or  contested neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Members of the U.S. intelligence community, however, have stated that they don&#8217;t know for sure who was behind the attack.<\/p>\n<p>Intelligence sources <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/hosted.ap.org\/dynamic\/stories\/U\/US_UNITED_STATES_SYRIA_INTELLIGENCE_DOUBTS?SITE=AP&amp;SECTION=HOME&amp;TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&amp;CTIME=2013-08-29-06-54-36\">told the Associated Press<\/a> that the evidence against Assad is \u201cnot a slam dunk,\u201d and the <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2013\/08\/29\/world\/middleeast\/us-facing-test-on-data-to-back-action-on-syria.html?_r=2&amp;\">New York Times<\/a> reported on Thursday that U.S. officials have no \u201csmoking gun\u201d to indicate it was Assad behind the attack.<\/div>\n<div class=\"island island--no-padding\">\n<h4 class=\"island__title\">Suggested by the author<\/h4>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/members-of-congress-petition-obama-to-get-authorization-before-syria-strike\">Members of Congress petition Obama to get authorization before Syria strike<\/a><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/senators-call-for-u-s-intervention-syria-following-alleged-chemical-attack\">Senators call for U.S. intervention in Syria following alleged chemical attack<\/a><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/u-s-backed-syrian-rebels-reportedly-massacre-christian-village\">U.S.-backed Syrian rebels reportedly massacre Christian village<\/a><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/chemical-weapon-attack-allegedly-launched-syria\">Chemical weapon attack allegedly launched in Syria<\/a><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/un-commission-claims-to-have-evidence-rebels-launched-chemical-attack-syria\">UN commission claims to have evidence rebels launched chemical attack in Syria<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>Quelle:<a href=\"http:\/\/www.examiner.com\/article\/syrian-rebels-admit-to-being-behind-chemical-weapons-attack\" target=\"_blank\"> Examiner<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Members of the Syrian rebel movement have admitted that they were behind the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack near Damascus,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3185","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arabischer-raum"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3185","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3185"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3185\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3185"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3185"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.friedensplattform.at\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3185"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}