 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| . |  |
. |
 by Staff Writers Washington (AFP) April 10, 2018
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has canceled weekend travel plans, a US official said Tuesday, as the Pentagon works with the White House on a response to a suspected chemical attack in Syria. The change of plans comes as US President Donald Trump shelved his first trip to Latin America, scheduled for later this week, saying he wants to "oversee the American response to Syria." Mattis was supposed to visit California and Nevada, the official added without giving further details. Trump has vowed to respond "forcefully" to the alleged chemical attack in Douma, where rescuers and medics say more than 40 people died after the suspected poison gas attack in the last rebel-held pocket of the one-time opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta.
Military assets that might be used in Syria strike Here is a look at some of the main military assets that could be involved in an offensive. - United States - When President Donald Trump last year ordered a strike against Assad following a deadly sarin gas attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhun, the US Navy launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from the destroyers USS Porter and USS Ross in the eastern Mediterranean. This year, the Porter and the Ross are both conducting operations in the Northern Atlantic, well out of range of a Syria strike. But the USS Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, left port at Larnaca, Cyprus on Monday and is within easy striking range of Syria. Additionally, the USS New York is underway in the Mediterranean, though the amphibious transport ship is unlikely to be directly involved in a strike. The Navy also has eight submarines currently deployed globally. Their location is a tightly held secret, but if one is in the Mediterranean it could be used in a cruise missile strike. The Tomahawks used last year targeted aircraft, hardened aircraft shelters, petroleum and logistical storage, ammunition supply bunkers, air defense systems and radars at the Shayrat air base. Currently, the US Navy has no aircraft carriers in the Med, though the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group is due to leave Norfolk, Virginia on Wednesday as part of a regular deployment with the Navy's Sixth Fleet, which is headquartered in Naples, Italy. In the event the Pentagon decides to use manned warplanes or drones, the US military has an intricate infrastructure in place in the region, where it has led an air war against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq since 2014. - France - If France joins a strike, it could launch its Rafale warplanes from French soil and use aerial refueling to get them to the target region. This was the preferred course of action chosen by France's then president Francois Hollande in August 2013, after chemical attacks in Ghouta left more than 1,400 people dead. But ultimately, Barack Obama famously declined to launch an operation in Syria, forcing Paris to stand down even though it had a half dozen Rafales ready at the Saint-Dizier air base in eastern France. Another possibility is launching strikes from a multi-mission frigate equipped with cruise missiles. A French military official said France permanently has such a ship in the eastern Mediterranean. - Britain - Like France and the United States, Britain has established a heavy military presence in the Syrian region as it has supported the fight against IS. As of 13 February 2018, Britain had conducted 1,700 airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq and Syria. Royal Air Force Akrotiri is a big base on Cyprus from where Britain launches many of its anti-IS raids in Syria.
NGOs pressure Macron over Saudi weapons as prince visits Paris (AFP) April 9, 2018 Rights groups on Monday urged President Emmanuel Macron to pressure visiting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over the war in Yemen, warning that Riyadh may be using French weapons in the conflict. "France is potentially an accomplice to serious violations of humanitarian laws by selling weapons and military equipment to Saudi Arabia, given what we know is taking place in Yemen," said Aurelie Perrier, coordinator for Yemen and Saudi Arabia at Amnesty International France. "We want to ask P ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
