Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said a reported chemical attack in Syria was staged by foreign agents.
The
US and France have said they have proof it took place, and, alongside
the UK, they are considering launching military retaliation against
Syria.Russia, a Syrian ally, has warned the US that air strikes risk a new war.
Independent chemical weapons inspectors are en route to the Eastern Ghouta area to look for evidence. They are expected to arrive on Saturday.
During a press briefing on Friday, Mr Lavrov said he had "irrefutable evidence" that the attack was staged as part of a "Russophobic campaign" led by one country, which he did not name.
- What can Western military intervention achieve?
- Why is there a war in Syria?
- Are we heading for a third world war?
The White House says it is continuing to assess intelligence and talk to its allies on how to respond.
The delegation from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) will start its investigations on Saturday, but, to ensure their safety, few details are expected to be released about their movements.
Why is the West considering military action?
The call for action comes after a suspected chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Douma in the Eastern Ghouta on Saturday, which killed dozens of people, according to opposition activists, rescue workers and medics.Chemical weapons attacks are suspected to have taken place in Syria before. Last year, the US launched a retaliatory strike after one was said to have taken place in Khan Sheikhoun.
President Bashar al-Assad's government - which receives military backing from Russia - has denied involvement in any chemical attack, calling the reports "fabricated".
After six weeks of heavy fighting and an estimated 1,700 civilian deaths in the Eastern Ghouta region, the Syrian government is now said to have control of the area, which lies just outside Damascus.
The final evacuations of about 4,000 remaining Islamist fighters and civilians continued on Friday, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring organisation.
Is there proof of the recent 'chemical attack'?
The Violations Documentation Center (VDC), which records alleged violations of international law in Syria, said bodies were found foaming at the mouth, and with discoloured skin and burns to the eyes.On Thursday, unnamed US officials said they had blood and urine samples from victims which had tested positive for chlorine and a nerve agent, according to NBC News.
The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Hayley, told the network: "We definitely have enough proof, but now we just have to be thoughtful in our action."
French President Emmanuel Macron also said he had "proof" that the Syrian government had attacked Douma with chemical weapons, without giving further details.
During a phone call late on Thursday, UK Prime Minister Theresa May and US President Donald Trump agreed on the need to deter chemical weapon use in Syria.
They agreed to "keep working closely" on the issue, Mrs May's office said in a statement.
What has Trump said about the attack?
Mr Trump, who has cancelled a planned trip abroad, has been canvassing support for strikes from the leaders of France and the UK.
On Wednesday he said the missiles were "coming", but on Thursday he tweeted that he had "never said when". It "could be very soon or not so soon at all", he said.
He later told reporters at the White House: "We're having a meeting today on Syria... We have to make some further decisions. So they'll be made fairly soon."
Also on Thursday, US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis told a congressional panel: "I believe there was a chemical attack and we are looking for the actual evidence."
What is Russia's position?
Russia has described the reports of a chemical attack as a "provocation" designed to justify Western intervention."The immediate priority is to avert the danger of war," Moscow's UN ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said on Thursday.
He accused Washington of putting international peace at risk and said the situation was "very dangerous".
On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich criticised Mr Trump's rhetoric.
"We cannot depend on the mood of someone on the other side of the ocean when he wakes up," the Tass news agency quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, tension was
triggered in Daddara village, in the Jibia local government area of
Katsina state after some officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),
federal operations unit, allegedly shot dead a man in front of his
father’s shop. The victim was identified as Amiru Abdulaziz.
The Punch reported that the customs officials had intercepted some men
who packed bags of suspected smuggled rice in a vehicle.
After seizing the rice and the vehicle, officials allegedly opened
gunfire to suppress any possible retaliation from the smugglers.
Abdulaziz was reportedly hit by a stray bullet in the process. Read
more: https://www.naija.ng/1163374-customs-allegedly-discover-160-exotic-cars-politicians-house-sokoto.html#1163374
Meanwhile, tension was
triggered in Daddara village, in the Jibia local government area of
Katsina state after some officers of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS),
federal operations unit, allegedly shot dead a man in front of his
father’s shop. The victim was identified as Amiru Abdulaziz.
The Punch reported that the customs officials had intercepted some men
who packed bags of suspected smuggled rice in a vehicle.
After seizing the rice and the vehicle, officials allegedly opened
gunfire to suppress any possible retaliation from the smugglers.
Abdulaziz was reportedly hit by a stray bullet in the process. Read
more: https://www.naija.ng/1163374-customs-allegedly-discover-160-exotic-cars-politicians-house-sokoto.html#1163374
The Nigerian Customs
Service raided a house in Sokoto and recovered exotic vehicles
- The house reportedly belonged to a high-ranking politician
- The exercise lasted several hours and was backed by the army
Operatives of the Sokoto Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service
has reportedly carried out a raid in the house of a high-ranking
politician in Sokoto state resulting in the recovery of 160 exotic cars.
According to Daily Trust, the vehicles included SUV Lexus jeeps and
Toyota Avensis cars.
READ ALSO: Illegal brewery where malt, stout is produced uncovered in
Lagos (photos)
A witness reportedly claimed the vehicles were 160 although a customs
official claimed the vehicles were less than 100.
According to a witness, “the vehicles were discovered in a fenced house
at Ruggan Waru area along Aliyu Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto.”
The source said: “The vehicles were not brought at the same time. They
brought them in pieces and in the night. You will hardly see the place
opened in broad daylight.”
The source said the exercise lasted for hours and that the customs
officials were backed by soldiers.
Mai lafiya who is the spokesperson of the Nigerian Customs said the area
comptroller would soon address the public.
PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on
the Internet!
Meanwhile, tension was triggered in Daddara village, in the Jibia local
government area of Katsina state after some officers of the Nigeria
Customs Service (NCS), federal operations unit, allegedly shot dead a
man in front of his father’s shop. The victim was identified as Amiru
Abdulaziz.
The Punch reported that the customs officials had intercepted some men
who packed bags of suspected smuggled rice in a vehicle.
After seizing the rice and the vehicle, officials allegedly opened
gunfire to suppress any possible retaliation from the smugglers.
Abdulaziz was reportedly hit by a stray bullet in the process. Read
more: https://www.naija.ng/1163374-customs-allegedly-discover-160-exotic-cars-politicians-house-sokoto.html#1163374
- The Nigerian Customs
Service raided a house in Sokoto and recovered exotic vehicles
- The house reportedly belonged to a high-ranking politician
- The exercise lasted several hours and was backed by the army
Operatives of the Sokoto Area Command of the Nigerian Customs Service
has reportedly carried out a raid in the house of a high-ranking
politician in Sokoto state resulting in the recovery of 160 exotic cars.
According to Daily Trust, the vehicles included SUV Lexus jeeps and
Toyota Avensis cars.
READ ALSO: Illegal brewery where malt, stout is produced uncovered in
Lagos (photos)
A witness reportedly claimed the vehicles were 160 although a customs
official claimed the vehicles were less than 100.
According to a witness, “the vehicles were discovered in a fenced house
at Ruggan Waru area along Aliyu Shinkafi Polytechnic, Sokoto.”
The source said: “The vehicles were not brought at the same time. They
brought them in pieces and in the night. You will hardly see the place
opened in broad daylight.”
The source said the exercise lasted for hours and that the customs
officials were backed by soldiers.
Mai lafiya who is the spokesperson of the Nigerian Customs said the area
comptroller would soon address the public.
PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on
the Internet!
Meanwhile, tension was triggered in Daddara village, in the Jibia local
government area of Katsina state after some officers of the Nigeria
Customs Service (NCS), federal operations unit, allegedly shot dead a
man in front of his father’s shop. The victim was identified as Amiru
Abdulaziz.
The Punch reported that the customs officials had intercepted some men
who packed bags of suspected smuggled rice in a vehicle.
After seizing the rice and the vehicle, officials allegedly opened
gunfire to suppress any possible retaliation from the smugglers.
Abdulaziz was reportedly hit by a stray bullet in the process. Read
more: https://www.naija.ng/1163374-customs-allegedly-discover-160-exotic-cars-politicians-house-sokoto.html#1163374
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