GooberTheHat wrote:Reports of heavy gunfire near the Royal Palace in ryhiad, Saudi Arabia.
A possible coup in progress.
acemuzzy wrote:Cos suffocation, somehow?
legaldinho wrote:Anyway, a friend of mine today told me a 2star general who is in charge of drone strikes vs isis explained that the answer to "why would Assad do this now" is that while they are winning, getting through to the last bits of resistance is costing them a lot of casualties. Tgis is because they are living in underground excavations. Chemical attacks are being used because they are highly effective in such circumstances and save lives.
I had a lot of doubt after that. But isn't the charge that a shell exploded releasing chemicals in the open air? How would that affect underground complexes?
FranticPea wrote:Because the gas is heavier than air?
Gaseous chlorine is greenish-yellow, about 2.5 times as heavier than air.
Chlorine gas is a respiratory irritant which affects the mucous membranes. It can be fatal after a few breaths at 1000 ppm.
GooberTheHat wrote:legaldinho wrote:Anyway, a friend of mine today told me a 2star general who is in charge of drone strikes vs isis explained that the answer to "why would Assad do this now" is that while they are winning, getting through to the last bits of resistance is costing them a lot of casualties. Tgis is because they are living in underground excavations. Chemical attacks are being used because they are highly effective in such circumstances and save lives.
I had a lot of doubt after that. But isn't the charge that a shell exploded releasing chemicals in the open air? How would that affect underground complexes?
The gas is heavier than air. It sinks, making it an ideal weapon to use against fortified underground bunkers, which is also why it kills so may civilians hiding in basements when they think there is an air raid coming in.
GooberTheHat wrote:GooberTheHat wrote:legaldinho wrote:Anyway, a friend of mine today told me a 2star general who is in charge of drone strikes vs isis explained that the answer to "why would Assad do this now" is that while they are winning, getting through to the last bits of resistance is costing them a lot of casualties. Tgis is because they are living in underground excavations. Chemical attacks are being used because they are highly effective in such circumstances and save lives.
I had a lot of doubt after that. But isn't the charge that a shell exploded releasing chemicals in the open air? How would that affect underground complexes?
The gas is heavier than air. It sinks, making it an ideal weapon to use against fortified underground bunkers, which is also why it kills so may civilians hiding in basements when they think there is an air raid coming in.
But again, no reason to use it when you're winning, right?
Kow wrote:It's still not a great reason to use it if it's going to bring the international community on top of you. The guy isn't dumb, or at least has advisers who aren't. Which isn't to say he didn't use it but it's certainly not case closed.
GooberTheHat wrote:Apologies, I didn't consider that that wasn't common knowledge. I thought you had listened to Dan Carlin's Blueprint for Armageddon which I think covers the horrors of gas.
Edit: @gonzo
Kow wrote:I know you have. I just don't agree.
legaldinho wrote:GooberTheHat wrote:Apologies, I didn't consider that that wasn't common knowledge. I thought you had listened to Dan Carlin's Blueprint for Armageddon which I think covers the horrors of gas.
Edit: @gonzo
In trench warfare. This is complex underground structures. I assume realising gas on the ground will only affect these structures if it hits at or near an air vent?
And the reports say nothing about this, except for I think Fisk's which you rubbished.
GooberTheHat wrote:legaldinho wrote:GooberTheHat wrote:There have been around 40 recorded instances of alleged chemical weapons use in Syria.
The OPCW and the Security Council had a mandate to investigate and assign responsibility for the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
After the OPWC accused Assad last year, Russia vetoed its renewal.
An attempt to establish a new mechanism to determine responsibility for the latest use of chemical weapons in Douma was blocked due to a Russian veto in the Security Council.
Source for that figure?
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/04/13/world/middleeast/syria-chemical-attacks-maps-history.html
https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/04/04/syria-year-chemical-weapons-attacks-persist
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