Syria: more evidence of Scud missiles emerges

Published January 6th, 2013 - 07:03 GMT
The old souk of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday after Syrian government forces allegedly recaptured the area from opposition forces. (AFP PHOTO /STR)
The old souk of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo on Thursday after Syrian government forces allegedly recaptured the area from opposition forces. (AFP PHOTO /STR)

Following Thursday’s confirmation by the Secretary General of NATO that Syria had fired Scud missiles, online activists have uploaded footage appearing to show President Assad's forces launching the ballistic weapons.

One video, posted on YouTube on Friday, purports to show the Scud missiles launched from Douma, a city 10km to the north of the capital Damascus.

There has been no confirmation from NATO of Friday's launches as yet.

Head OF NATO,  Anders Fogh Rasmussen, was quoted by Reuters on Thursday as saying that Scud missiles were fired last week, in  "acts of a desperate regime approaching collapse".

Fears are growing that Assad could use the ballistic missile system to deliver a chemical attack. The United States has repeatedly said that  the Syrian army using chemical weapons against civilians is a ‘red line’, which would prompt military action against Assad.

Currently, there is no evidence to suggest that chemical weapons have been used in the 21-month old conflict.

 

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