The latest suspected chemical weapons attack on the Syrian city of Douma has seen more innocent men, women and children killed and injured.
Symptoms reported from the World Health Organisation has included frothing at the mouth, suffocation, dilated and constricted pupils, corneal burns, central cyanosis – a blue tinge to the skin – and a chlorine-like odour – all are consistent symptoms of exposure to an organophosphorus compound such as Sarin gas.
International intelligence as well as evidence gathered on the ground by NGOs points to yet another attack by the Assad regime on its own people.
So what does the United Kingdom do now? In 2013 a majority in Parliament voted against taking action to punish Assad’s use of chemical weapons on innocent civilians. Since then, the use of nerve agents and barrel bombs has continued to kill and injure thousands.
The UN High Commissioner Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, has said: “After decades when we thought we had successfully outlawed the use of chemical and biological weapons, the world is sitting idly by while their use is becoming normalised in Syria. This collective shrug to yet another possible use of one of the most ghastly weapons ever devised by man is incredibly dangerous.”
In 2005 we made a political commitment alongside members of the United Nations – the Responsibility to Protect - in order to prevent genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. It is clear that Assad has crossed a line with the continued use of chemical weapons and there must be a response from the international community.
Of course any action cannot be taken lightly. We need to demonstrate that lessons have been learnt from past mistakes. This means that any action needs to be supported by solid evidence and intelligence. We also need to be aware that the ongoing Syrian Civil War is an extremely complex situation with various forces opposing the Government – from the Free Syrian Army to the Syrian Democratic Forces.
There is also the dangerous ISIL which make up a minority rebel group who are signed up to the Salafi Jihadism ideology. For many rebel groups it is a war on several fronts. We must make sure that any international action does not play into the hands of ISIL; again learning from past mistakes. So we need to make sure that the intelligence solidly points blame at the Assad regime. We need to be sure that Assad has broken international laws by using a chemical weapon. And we need to ensure that there aren’t any unintended benefactors, particularly ISIL, if Assad is weakened.
As I write this on Thursday afternoon, the facts are becoming clearer and intelligence seems to confirm that Assad is behind another chemical attack. It is clear we have a moral imperative to stop him from killing his own people. The international community outlines the use of chemical weapons as a red line so we must stand by the principles of the global community and the United Nations. We must stand up to this brutal killer – if we don’t, what does that say about us?
As Hassan Akkad, a Syrian refugee who was tortured by the Assad regime, pointed out; Assad will not stop killing thousands of innocent people unless somebody stops him. And as Labour MP Hilary Benn once said; “We never have and we never should walk by on the other side of the road.”
