Donald Trump addresses nation, says US launching missile strikes on Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – United States President Donald Trump on Friday announced that America would join allies France and the United Kingdom to launch strikes against the Syrian regime after last week’s alleged chemical attack on eastern Ghouta.

Addressing the nation at the White House, Trump said he had ordered the US Armed Forces “to launch precision strikes on targets associated with the chemical weapons capabilities of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.”

He added that the decision was “a combined operation with the Armed Forces of France and the United Kingdom,” noting that the missile strikes were “underway.”

The US President’s highly-anticipated announcement comes at the end of a tense week as Washington, and its allies have been in contact, deciding on joint action against Assad.

Trump said the decision to launch missiles was taken because of a significant escalation in a “pattern” of chemical use by the Syrian regime, noting that the US responded with airstrikes one year ago after a similar gas attack on Idlib.

He described the April 7 chemical assault on eastern Ghouta’s Douma region that killed dozens of civilians, including children, as “evil [and] despicable.”

The US President cited events in World War One where “civilizations came together to ban chemical warfare,” suggesting history was repeating itself now.

“The purpose of our actions is to establish a strong deterrent against the production, spread, and use of chemical weapons,” he said at the White House.

“We will continue with this response until Syria stops” using chemical weapons.

Trump also had a message for Iran and Russia who have both supported Assad during the years-long Syrian civil war.

He asked both Tehran and Moscow, “what kind of nation wants to be associated” with “monster” Assad?

The decision to launch missiles at Syria is a risky one with Russia already threatening to shoot down any US missiles that put Russian lives at risk.