begin quote from:
US heard Syrian military discuss chemical attack
US intelligence intercepted communications between Syrian military and chemical experts
Story highlights
- The attack in northwestern Syria killed at least 70 people
- So far there is no intelligence confirming that Russia had complicity in the attack
(CNN)The
US military and intelligence community has intercepted
communications featuring Syrian military and chemical experts talking
about preparations for the sarin attack in Idlib last week, a senior US
official tells CNN.
The
intercepts were part of an immediate review of all intelligence in the
hours after the attack to confirm responsibility for the use of chemical
weapons in an attack in northwestern Syria, which killed at least 70 people. US officials have said that there is "no doubt" that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is responsible for the attack.
The
US did not know prior to the attack it was going to happen, the
official emphasized. The US scoops up such a large volume of
communications intercepts in areas like Syria and Iraq, the material
often is not processed unless there is a particular event that requires
analysts to go back and look for supporting intelligence material.
So
far there are no intelligence intercepts that have been found directly
confirming that Russian military or intelligence officials communicated about the attack. The official said the likelihood is the Russians are more careful in their communications to avoid being intercepted.
The Russian and Syrian governments have both denied involvement in the chemical attack.
President
Donald Trump told a White House news conference Wednesday that the
Pentagon is looking into the question of Russian complicity in the
chemical attack. "I would like to think that they didn't know, but
certainly they could have," Trump said. "(Defense Secretary) Gen.
(James) Mattis is looking into it with the entire Pentagon group that
does that kind of work."
The US now
assesses that Syria has re-established a unit of personnel associated
with chemical weapons that existed before the 2013 agreement in which
the Syrian government pledged to give up its weapons inventory. And
there is some indication they are getting outside help.
"We
know they have the expertise. And we suspect that they have help," a US
military official told reporters at a background briefing Friday.
At
that briefing, the official also noted, "We know the Russians have
chemical expertise in-country. We cannot talk about openly any
complicity between the Russians and the Syrian regime in this -- in this
case, but we're carefully assessing any information that would
implicate the Russians knew or assisted with the Syrian capability."
But
even if there is a definitive finding of Russian complicity, it's not
clear the Pentagon or the White House would make that information
public, a senior US official said.
First, it would have to be ironclad proof, which could be difficult to determine.
But also, the US feels right now that it has made the case that Russian support for Assad must end.
For
now, the official said the most specific evidence of Russian
involvement remains a Russian drone that flew over the hospital that was
treating people injured in the attack. The US has specific intelligence
showing it was a Russian drone. While the drone operator may not have
known why the aerial vehicle was flying in the area, it was a
Russian-controlled asset.
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