United States and Allies Bomb Syria

Jake Giglio

On the night of April 13 and the morning of April 14, the United States, France, and Great Britain, bombed Syria over suspected usage of chemical weapons by its government.  

The Syrian administration is accused of attacking the rebel-controlled town of Khan Sheikhoun with the use of chemical warfare, killing more than 80 people, including children and the elderly.  According to Vox, Trump issued a public television statement saying, “The evil and despicable attack left mothers and fathers, infants and children, thrashing in pain and gasping for air.  These are not the actions of a man. They are crimes of a monster instead.”

Trump informed the public that he and his advisors had decided to proceed with an airstrike on key targets within the capital city of Damascus, the location where officials believe the chemical attack was planned.  Trump warned Russia of his action point, as Syria and Russia are allies. The Russian government swore to shoot down any and all missiles that would be fired at the Syrian capital. Despite the threat, Trump continued his plan to go forward with the bombing.  

This is not the first time that The United States bombed Syria.  Back in 2016, the Obama administration used over 12,000 bombs on Syrian soil, targeting ISIS, a known terrorist group whose origins are in the Middle East.  Trump reportedly said that he used double the number of bombs that Obama had used.

There are no statistics as of right now regarding the casualties or effectiveness of the bombing, although Trump says each missile hit its target despite Syrian allegations that most were, in fact, shot down.  

Responses have been heard across the world.  On April 15 on Twitter, the Syrian government posted a picture of their president reporting on time and as usual to the capitol building.  Russia, according to Vox, said, “We are being threatened. We warned that such actions will not be left without consequences.”

Global tensions have been rising between the superpowers and their allies, and the world is watching to see what will come next.