This morning's key headlines from
GenerationalDynamics.com:
- Syria: Missile strike kills 80 students taking exams at University of Aleppo
- Report: State Dept. believes Syria used chemical weapons
- New Kashmir clash kills Pakistani soldier
Syria: Missile strike kills 80 students taking exams at University of Aleppo
A missile strike, presumably from warplanes sent by the regime of
Syria's president Bashar al-Assad, struck a building at University of
Aleppo where hundreds of students were taking exams, killing 82 and
injuring 150 more. In a familiar refrain, the al-Assad regime said
that the university students were killed not by warplanes but by "the
terrorists," its terms for the rebels. Over 60,000 people, almost all
civilians, have been killed in the Syrian conflict, mostly through
intentional slaughter by the al-Assad regime. BBC
Report: State Dept. believes Syria used chemical weapons
According to a report in Foreign Policy magazine, there is a
"compelling case' to believe that al-Assad's military forces used the
deadly poison gas Agent 15 in the city of Homs on December 23.
Activist and doctors on the ground in Homs have been circulating
evidence of the Dec. 23 incident over the past three weeks in an
attempt to convince the international community of its veracity. The
reports said that the chemical agent was delivered by a tank shell and
that the range of symptoms varied based on the victim's proximity to
the poison. However, shortly after the report appeared, the White
House issued a statement saying that the report "has not been
consistent with what we believe to be true about the Syrian chemical
weapons program." At one point, the Administration indicated that
Syrian use of chemical weapons would bring a military response, but
later seemed to back off from the threat, and now merely says that
"the regime will be held accountable." Foreign Policy and Reuters
New Kashmir clash kills Pakistani soldier
On Wednesday, for the third time in two weeks, there have been
military clashes between Pakistani and Indian forces across the Line
of Control (LoC) separating the two forces in Kashmir. (See "9-Jan-13 World View -- New fighting between India and Pakistan in Kashmir") This time, a Pakistani
soldier was killed, and a Pakistani army statement says that "Indian
troops again resorted to ceasefire violation and carried out
unprovoked firing this evening at LoC." Concern is rising that
tensions are escalating, and some act may trigger a new Kashmir war
between India and Pakistan. Dawn (Pakistan) / AFP
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