Talk:Alleged Chemical Attack, March 16, 2015

General Discussion
(somewhat jumbled first impressions and some further probing. Main points to be organized below, but this is where the important thought appeared with supporting commentary and discussion - important reading) --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:27, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

Breaking!
New report from Sermin Idlib ( ادلب:سرمين )

"Civil Defense Idlib: Srmin: a very important three children and their parents and their grandmother chemical gas victims"

Family of Five

Some water (alkalai?) decontamination and gas masks but several don't wear gloves and the woman's clothing seems original. -- ‎Charles Wood


 * Incredibly sad. It seems the one toddler, red-haired FWIW, dies right there and no one really cares. You get the common feeling "Assad" targeted people the rebels don't really like. Though they didn't specifically blame anyone there. I don't suppose there's much more info available at the moment (checked VDC martyrs database, nothing relevant yet). --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:32, 17 March 2015 (UTC)


 * The couch that talks has already determined it was conclusively 'Assad Gas'. But he would say that, wouldn't he? -- ‎Charles Wood


 * Urs is on the case and has collected videos since they started uploading. The brown-nosed one isn't the only known propagandist involved with this. One Hadi Al Abdallah with a long history of "rebel" propaganda is even trolling John Kerry on twitter. She thinks that reveals the motive, and is convinced that the "rebels" did it for propaganda reasons - pointing out the usual treatment of the dead "like meat". But she would say that, wouldn't she? ;o) --CE (talk) 14:25, 17 March 2015 (UTC)

More details, names, symptoms etc. 'Warplanes attacked'. One mention of Chlorine but symptoms don't match at all. Scene looks like standard Sarin treatment Facebook Page --Charles Wood (talk) 10:55, 17 March 2015 (UTC)


 * This video needs the sort of detailed analysis that someone like Denis would be able to do. From a quick look, I agree with Urs that these aren't real medics/paramedics.  These children, if they were still breathing or had only just stopped breathing, needed immediate respiratory support via an endotracheal tube or just mouth-to-mouth. The red-haired boy is left on the trolley until he stops breathing, then someone makes a desultory effort at suction which is pointless without respiratory support.  The other two children are placed on top of the woman on the trolley in positions where they can't be resuscitated - better to put them on the floor.  One child is held up by the lower jaw for no obvious reason, with a grip that appears to compress both carotid arteries.  All three children appear cyanosed - these aren't like the children in the Kafr Batna sun morgue who were pink.  My impression is that these children have been given an overdose of some powerful respiratory / central nervous system depressant like morphine. Pmr9 (talk) 16:33, 17 March 2015 (UTC)


 * I think we can rule out not just chlorine but any agent that is not a central nervous system depressant - otherwise the red-haired boy would be struggling to breathe. Opiate poisoning is the most likely diagnosis because most other sedative drugs don't cause this degree of respiratory depression without causing coma. On a frame-by-frame view, it looks as if this child has dilated pupils.  Most opiates including morphine cause pinpoint pupils in overdose.  The only one that causes dilated pupils is meperidine (Demerol), still widely used as a painkiller.  Pmr9 (talk) 17:48, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Thanks for your expertise here. If it can be narrowed down like that, we can get somewhere. Some unit might be asking for more Demerol soon, or they had a huge supply to begin with. --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:57, 19 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Meperidine was a standard battlefield analgesic for the US military at least until the 1970s, but is now rarely used in the US and Europe because of its central nervous system toxicity. From a scan of recent publications, it's still widely used in Turkish military hospitals and is manufactured in Turkey under the brand name Aldolan. Pmr9 (talk) 13:00, 20 March 2015 (UTC)

Denis!
(header by Adam) --Caustic Logic (talk) 00:13, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

Denis O'Brien here. Perhaps I could add some observations/thoughts to this Sarmin attack. ..
 * A. The videos I have studied are vids 1/2/4/6/8 in Pmr9’s playlist – these are the ones showing clinic shots.  I use his numbers here.  Vids 1 & 2 show a distinct clinic – or clinic rooms – from the clinic in vids 4/6/8.  The main reason I say this is that the floors are different – terra cotta in vids 1 & 2 and tile pattern in vids 4/6/8.
 * Note: Petri's playlist. See --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:11, 4 April 2015 (UTC)


 * B. The two clinics are connected by at least one person common to both – that is an older gentleman with a knit cap and glasses.  He is seen at 1:02 in vid O1 and a number of times in vid 06.  I refer to him as “P2.”  I haven’t taken the time for side-by-side comparisons of the vids, but this guy is the only one that stands out as being in both of the clinics.


 * C. Vids 1&2 show a woman medic, whom I call “P1.”  She seems to be in charge.  She is wearing full scrubs and a sweater w/ grey/black horizontal stripes.  She is not wearing a hijab.  I don’t see any women in vids 4/6/8 – victims or personnel.


 * D. The Sarmin videos strike me as being quite different from the Ghouta vids b/c in the Sarmin vids the workers’ faces are featured and some of the workers are interviewed with their faces uncovered.  In the Ghouta vids, seeing the workers’ faces was very rare.  (Vids 1&2 are more like the Ghouta vids in this respect -- no faces -- than vids 4/6/8.)  Also, there were no naked children in the Ghouta vids – or if there were, they weren’t featured – but vids 1&2 focus on the three naked kids, which may suggest the Sarmin vids were not staged whereas the Ghouta vids were.


 * E. Here are some observations on the 4 victims seen in vids 1&2. I identify these victims as follows – vid times w/ respect to Vid 01.  Infant boy (N1) seen at 0:01.  Infant girl (N2) seen at 0:30.  Infant girl ? (N3) in diapers, seen at 1:16.  Adult woman (A1).


 * Infant N1 is alive at the beginning of vid 01 but appears to be dead by the end of vid 02, establishing the sequence of the two vids. N1 is the only one of the four kids that is unequivocally alive.  His respiration is grossly depressed, but can be confirmed by closely watching the nasal mucus in vid 02.  His color is poor; his lips are mildly cyanotic.  He is clearly not struggling for air.  Like all three infants, his muscles are flaccid.  His skin is clear and without trauma or burns w/ the exception of a small brownish lesion on his R elbow.  If N1 was dying as a result of chlorine in his lungs, one would expect him to be very distressed, in pain, gasping for air, and – if the chlorine contacted his skin – showing skin redness or burns.
 * I don’t know why the guy is jabbing the needle into N1's chest and twisting it around – vid 02 at 1:07. A very rough intracardiac injection,I guess.  Looks like a clear fluid in the syringe – epinephrine?  Didn't work.
 * All 3 kids have clear skin. The color is fairly good, but lips are mildly cyanotic.  No blisters or lesions.  From the little of the eyes that can be seen, they are rheumy, not irritated – chlorine would make the eyes irritated, bloodshot.  Pupils can’t be read.  There is no clear indication of vomiting or defecation, although N3's diapers look like they’re full.  N1 (and only N1) is producing a small amount of nasal mucus.
 * What little can be seen of the woman, A1, is noteworthy. In vid 01 she is grimacing and her eyes are slightly open and rheumy.  In vid 02 she is expressionless and her eyes are closed. Her color looks pretty good in vid 02 – 1:25.
 * At 0:15 in vid 01 you can see her R hand behind the head of N1. The hand has a brownish stain on the palm.  Splotches of the same color are seen on the sheet behind N3 – vid 02 at 1:30.  Also, at the end of vid 02, there is a brown stain the same color over the L eye of N1.
 * There is no rigor in any of the kids. The skin color is not yet developing palor mortis or livor mortis.  A view of the 3 children in their funeral wraps is here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIlBRb2aFzo&feature=youtu.be


 * Impressions of the clinics.
 * Well funded and well equipped.
 * Clean sheets/blankets. The yellow/black blankets look like they were custom made with the logo.
 * De-fibrillator in vid 01 is turned on. Looks like quite a bit of gear.
 * Lots of O2 bottles, but O2 is not administered to N1.
 * Most of the people are milling around not doing anything helpful, as in Kafr Batna. There are a lot of people taking photos/vids, and you can easily see their faces, unlike Kafr Batna.
 * Unlike KB, no guns & no military uniforms.


 * I can’t see enough to take a stab at the cause of death, if there is, in fact, a single, common cause. It was not chlorine, almost certainly not sarin.  Not carbon monoxide or cyanide, as in Kafr Batna.  No trauma.


 * Pmr9 suggest Demerol (pithidine or meperidine) – could be. These opiates depress respiration by acting in the brain – i.e., suffocation w/out struggling.  Most opiates constrict the pupils, but not Demerol.  At the moment it’s as good as guess as any I can come up with.  What does it mean if these kids died of Demerol?  It would almost have to be injected.


 * I am on the road as I write this and 3000 miles from my shelf of pharmacology books, so without more research I’m not comfortable making a guess at what killed them. Jabhat al-Nusra, perhaps, if Kafr Batna is any indication, but it’s way to early to say.

Pierpont (talk) 22:38, 21 March 2015 (UTC)Pierpont


 * This is so much more awesome than we should expect, for on the road and short notice. You mention brown stains on the woman's hand - similar color (truama/bruise? too new to be brown? so stains?) on baby 1's right elbow as well as left brow. This is a clue of some kind. --Caustic Logic (talk) 00:13, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

"Pupils can’t be read." This is important, so I went to the second video, close-up on (that must be Mohammed) at 0:18. Managed to adjust gamma and contrast. left eye wasn't so helpful, so this is just the right. Iris seems gray, barely there. Still not super clear but maybe the best it gets. What do you think now? (or when you get a chance?) --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:48, 22 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Section with multi-images now. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:27, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

CL, thanks for coming up with the names of the victims. Out of respect, I much prefer to use names instead of ID numbers. My post above can be modified as follows: N1 = Mohammad; N2 = Sara; N3 = Aysha. Mohammad is easy. As for the girls, I believe the child in diapers is the oldest, judging from her size.


 * (moved from below)

I’ve done some pupillary pondering and brushed up a bit on opiates since CL’s query. Until I can flip the pages of my Goodman & Gilman’s Pharmacology to verify what I read online, I’m never totally confident in my conclusions, so I won’t make any. But I don’t see anything here or in online sources I’m relying on that strikes me as being flat wrong, and there are some issues here that could be worth tossing around. The opiate hypothesis is currently the best one going from what I see, and I think it would be very telling for reasons noted below.

As already noted, the vid of Mohammad’s very slight respirations w/ no distress, no struggling, no gasping is consistent with opiate-induced sedation and depression of the CNS respiratory centers. If we had a clear view of his pupils and they were constricted, the diagnosis of opiate poisoning would be very strong. As it is, the kid’s dark, barely open eyes and the dim clinic make it impossible for me to say for sure whether his pupils are constricted or dilated, even with the digital enhancements.

Pmr9 raises the opiate agonist meperidine/pithedine – I’ll go with the trade name “Demerol” as it’s easier to spell. It’s a dirty opiate in that a metabolite of the drug acts on receptor systems other than the opiate system. So the pharmacology is squirrelly. Not only does Demerol not produce miosis like other opiates, but it produces mydriasis. But, like the others, a Demerol o’dose generally shuts down respirations, inhibits coughing, and causes intense constipation. But then again. . . large doses can, in sensitive patients, cause tremors, sweating, diarrhea, and seizures. Dirty drug. Also confounding the pharmacology is the fact that these are all symptoms in adults – kids may be different b/c they metabolize Demerol differently than adults. For instance one source says that kids may be more sensitive to the respiratory depression effect of Demerol.

This means that depressed respiration together with either pinpoint OR dilated pupils would be consistent with opiate overdose.

Would love to get an ER clinician in on this discussion. I think they would agree that opiate poisoning is a pretty good guess. I would be shocked if any clinician could look at these kids and conjecture chlorine poisoning. IOW, chlorine allegations => RED HERRING => false flag => insurgents responsible. Somebody needs to go back to the “Observatory” and check where this allegation came from.

Going with the opiate working hypothesis for the moment, it points to a couple of troubling questions:


 * How would these kids have been exposed to a fatal dose of Demerol?
 * I mean, this opiate is not going to be “administered” via 155 artillery shells or barrel bombs. It would require some creep holding a kid down and stuffing a handful of pills down her throat or jamming a needle into her butt.  A firm diagnosis of opiate poisoning by itself would virtually demand the conclusion that the insurgents were responsible, just as the diagnosis that CO/cyanide was used in Ghouta virtually demands the same conclusion for that massacre.
 * Why didn’t the medics reverse the opiate poisoning?
 * The effects of all opiates, including Demerol, are immediately reversed by administration of an opiate antagonist, namely naloxone (Narcan). The opiate depression of CNS respiratory centers is particularly sensitive to naloxone.  Given that the clinic we are seeing seems very well equipped and funded, one might expect that they would be stocked with naloxone and at least Mohammad, who is alive in vid 01, could have been saved.  But then again this is Syria in the middle of a civil war/insurgent attack so who knows what to expect.  Maybe the closest dose of naloxone is in Istanbul.

Pierpont (talk) 17:05, 23 March 2015 (UTC)Pierpont

Amnesty International
Amnesty "International" jumping on the band wagon in their usual style. --CE (talk) 23:08, 17 March 2015 (UTC)


 *  The injured included a small number of fighters from the Free Syrian Army armed group, but the vast majority were civilians. In the middle of jabhat al-Nusra territory - yeah right!


 * ANOTHER VIDEO from the clinic is linked here. Note the different video identification which has now switched to Nusra. There is some curious medical treatment in the video. ricksterling


 * Welcome, Rick. Indeed, a Nusra flag on this one. No switch in anything really implied of course, just a different cameraman with his affiliation. The chest compressions here seem comically overdone, besides being useless. Seems they want to be seen as really trying to help, in case reality let slip any signs of the opposite. --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:57, 19 March 2015 (UTC)


 * The release of the two videos doesn't seem to have been coordinated: viewed separately the lack of effective treatment might just be explained by a lack of training, but taken together they make it obvious that the resuscitation is staged: in video 1 there is a minimal attempt at rescuscitating the red-haired boy which is then abandoned. In video 2, they start resuscitation all over again on all three children.  We really should point this out to Amnesty and get them to retract their earlier statement Pmr9 (talk) 13:00, 20 March 2015 (UTC)


 * The video linked by Rick shows the dilated pupils more clearly though at this stage (at least 2 minutes after respiratory arrest) it's not a specific sign. This video appears to start immediately after the end of the first one.  It looks as if having left the children to be filmed lying on the trolley, they thought they'd better make a show of trying to resuscitate them.  The cardiac massage and intracardiac injection are pointless without artificial ventilation.  I think these videos are worth a detailed study along with others from the same source.  Linking them may give more clues to the identities of the perpetrators. Pmr9 (talk) 10:34, 20 March 2015 (UTC)


 * A doctor and a civil defence worker told Amnesty International those affected by the attack had no injuries associated with explosive weapons, but showed symptoms characteristic of a chemical weapons attack, including reddened eyes, shortness of breath, continuous coughing, respiratory distress, vomiting, and drooling from the mouth. Except the videos of the children only showed drooling on one of them and none of the other symptoms on any. --Charles Wood (talk) 00:50, 18 March 2015 (UTC)


 * I will point out that at least one of the infants has signs of trauma on one side of their head. This is not consistent with the Amnesty statement of no injuries associated with explosive weapons --Charles Wood (talk) 11:45, 20 March 2015 (UTC)
 * That's the mystery brown liquid, I think. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:27, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

MSF

 * Doctors without Borders/MSF: Syria: Chlorine attack on Idlib village
 * A chlorine attack in the north west of Syria on 16th March has killed six people and poisoned a further 70 people, according to reports by Syrian doctors working in the region who were contacted by Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF).
 * Helicopters were seen dropping barrels, which released a suffocating gas on impact with the ground.
 * “We saw people arriving at the hospital from a neighbouring village”, said Dr T, the director of Sarmin hospital. “Amongst them, there was a family, three young children with their parents. They were in a very serious condition, dying.
 * ''“Their parents were able to speak but they were having a lot of difficulty breathing.”

The entire family died in the hospital, whilst the grandmother of the children had died of asphyxiation before reaching medical assistance.''


 * The events and symptoms described by the medical staff of the hospital leave no doubt as to the presence of chlorine poisoning. There were no symptoms consistent with any other toxic products.
 * “It was dark so we couldn’t see any particular colour in the sky”, stated the hospital director. “But the air smelt of cleaning products and their clothes had the distinctive smell of chlorine.”
 * “There were 20 patients in serious condition, agitated, foaming blood at the mouth and showing skin rashes,” said another hospital doctor.
 * The hospital team treated 70 victims: the inhabitants of a neighbouring village which had come under attack by the first barrel bombs, the inhabitants of Sarmin town which was attacked later during the night, and voluntary first aid workers of the Syrian Civil Defence affected when they arrived to give assistance.


 * For all that, add "said anti-government activists, talking to like-minded foreigners." They can say the right symptoms and say people showed them, and tie in these dead people with implications that they must have had the same. All regime chlorine, no signs of "any other toxic products." That's good, because something like Aldolan in a rebel clinic might've been paid for by the credulous reporting agency here;
 * The hospital in Sarmin is one of a number of medical structures in the inaccessible conflict-affected areas of Syria supported by MSF. The organisation provides donations of drugs and medical supplies to functioning health structures.

I'm not sure the clinic in the videos is the same as this Sarmin hospital, or if these are two different places the victims allegedly died. But it does not seem to be a well-managed place, in line with modern norms of human decency. --Caustic Logic (talk) 06:20, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

AP report, Times of Israel mentions "Videos posted online showed people struggling to breathe, and the international humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders said symptoms described by medics in contact with the group clearly indicate the presence of chlorine poisoning." Really, how strong is "symptoms described?" Is MSF an expert group at sniffing out false claims and improving the credibility of the rest? No. Their exercise in feigning this succeeds at nothing real. --Caustic Logic (talk) 06:20, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

Video

 * Playlist: Sarmin CW attack
 * Until we get a translation, video 1 with English Doesn't include all dialog, but they say Aysha is breathing at 1:40. Another video (no-fly-zone-supporter) includes most videos, with English titles. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:03, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Searching one Arabic long title brings up some unseen results. Should be added and analyzed. Rough translated titles. --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:56, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
 * ج1 Sarmeen, Idlib :many injuries in the hospital المديداني bombing بالغازات toxic
 * Cham, sarmeen, Idlib cases of throttling bombardments with chlorine Poison 17 3 2015 warning video hard and very جـ3
 * is that Mohammed breathing better with a mask? His arms are moving, grabbing, and he seems to be nreathing, if uncomfortable. And what is likely to be in the little jabber with a yellow tab? --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:07, 2 April 2015 (UTC)
 * intravenous cannula with injection port - but in the end they don't use it either because they can't find a vein or they decide it's not needed. Doesn't look like Taleb child.


 * spot for part 2 of that series (?).
 * Sarmeen choked
 * second half shows the Taleb children - same camera as video 1 but different editing so there are some extra clips not seen before. At 2.28, when someone is examining Sara with a stethoscope, she appears to take one last breath (I'm not sure of this, needs an expert to exclude extraneous movement or lighting changes).  The video then cuts immediately to a view from the other side of the trolley, in which she is lying apparently lifeless on top of her grandmother.  Pmr9 (talk) 12:56, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Doesn't seem to be any new footage, just different effects. I do see a bit of movement in the belly at that one spot. My guess is one of the compressions shook the table a bit, or maybe it's internal - a last breath, or gas bubble, escaping. I don't think it's the camera. (oh and that should be Aysha) --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:02, 1 April 2015 (UTC)


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmNBLUtP3hw
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAhzdWWKbHA
 * Translated at 3:05 of this video --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:07, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUlgPis0huI (Might allow geo-locating the alleged attack site)
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Kg4qSo40S0
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9AhAFH_QYo


 * Photo: May not be worth a photos section, but I looked around (hoping for a clearer view of Mohammed's or anyone's irises) and found one Nusra-front-stamped photo of the children laid out dead. Sara's eyes are open and visible, but not very. Aisha's are clearly visible, and very dark and beat-up looking all around. This might be another symptom clue. (found some video stills too, but these don't count) --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:19, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apH795JpL7I CLaims to show a barrel bomb attack, posted March 17, filmed in full daylight. Looks legit. Helicopter, right-shaped bomb, large blast. Might well be a recycled video, apparently too late to matter directly to the attack on the night of the 16th. I was tempted to try and geo-locate it in Sarmin, but only if it seems worthwhile (partly because I may only be able to rule it out, after lots of looking) --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:34, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
 * The video is titled "Throw explosive barrels on the city of Daraa Angel 17 32 015". Uploader LCCMedia seems to show videos from all over Syria --Charles Wood (talk) 20:00, 29 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Okay, will leave that to illustrate the dangers of taking suggested videos without proper scrutiny. :) --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:38, 29 March 2015 (UTC)


 * There are plenty of structures there to cue on, so if it's Sarmin, geo-locating might be easy. A couple of points--
 * 1. Is that a barrel? Maybe the term has a broader definition in Syria.
 * 2. It's falling through a slate-grey sky, but the ground shots show a complex sky w/ cumulus clouds against bright blue.
 * 3. The camera is very steady but begins jerking around at 0:21 but the bomb doesn't land until 0:26. I don't have ear buds w/ me at the moment -- maybe the audio explains why all the pre-impact jerking.
 * 4. There have been so many airbases over-run or almost over-run in the last 3 years.  Does anybody have an inventory or guess as to what type aircraft and how many the insurgents (incl IS) are flying now? Pierpont (talk) 20:06, 30 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Just to reiterate the video is completely unrelated to the alleged attack in Idlib. The video is from Daraa. Given that I think it's two spliced videos that may not be related.
 * The currents state of play with the insurgent 'airforce' is they have got two L-39 trainers to the point of being able to taxi on a runway, but there is no evidence they have ever flown. I've not seen any helicopters that have been repaired enough to fly. As I recall, the two L-39s have now been captured from moderates by either DAESH or Jabhat al-Nusra. I forget which. Expect perhaps a suicide bombing at some stage --Charles Wood (talk) 01:20, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
 * "if it's Sarmin, geo-locating might be easy." That's what I was thinking, and I've been on a roll. But just to be clear, Daraa is hundreds of miles away. Is it fake? I wouldn't think so, but maybe, not a priority to even check. And it is valid to wonder about rebel air force. My impression is Syria's air defenses are good enough they know not to even bother. A low-flying helicopter inside rebel territory is the most plausible craft they'd have. Charles' assessment sounds way more informed. I defer. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:41, 31 March 2015 (UTC)


 * I got quite excited a couple of years back when I saw a video of insurgents loading a large transport helicopter with wounded. It turns out it was a prisoner swap. Other than that I have no information whatsoever of insurgent operated helicopters. However I'd bet good money that Turkish helicopters are making low level visits into deeply held insurgent territory. I never did find out how McCain got into and out of Northern Syria. Perhaps...???--Charles Wood (talk) 12:00, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Of all the possible helicopters to NOT shoot down...--Caustic Logic (talk) 22:56, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

Translation
From a friend of a friend, video 1 (cleanup/refinements later):--Caustic Logic (talk) 22:47, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * A man is saying: Sarmin town 16/3/2013 and this is one of the babies who is still fed by his mother who has been hit by a poisoned gas that Al.ASSAD launched at Sarmin town. the number of victims are one young baby who is fed by his mother and he is in the age of few months old in additon to a women.


 * a huge number of young babies and women who were attacked by poison gas that was hit onto Sarmin town. he is praying and saying (ALLAH AKBAR).


 * a man is standing on front of the camera man and he is saying take this dead women away come on take her then the camera man says (ALLAH AKBAR) and more dead children are being picked and brought (ALLAH AKBAR) and then he mentions the date and says 16/3/2015. the camera man and some peaople around him start to say (ALLAH AKBAR and they pray for God).


 * the camera man says a huge number of young babies who are fed on ther mothers who were attacked by some poison gases that were launched onto Sarmin town. he says hundreds of victims. another man says that this girl is brathing come here doctor he is asking for the doctors help. then he calls the guys and says oh come on guys there is this girl

Video 2:
 * The camera man: Sarmin town 16/3/2015 a huge number of babies that were hit by poisoned gases that were attacked onto Sarmin town in addition to tens and hundreds of women and young men. he prays for God and mentions the date of 16/3/2015. he shows us a young baby then he asks someone : are they dead??? then the camera man prays for his God and says this is the death of three babies because of the poisone gases that were launched onto Sarmin town. a women points at the dead baby and says an unclear words then she continues to say the eye of this baby is dry now and after that she says I have the children are upon their mother.


 * the camera man says its the death of a women and three children. And at the end of the video, a man appears and having a white cover in his hands and he mentions unclear words about the father of the dead children because he says; yes of course the father of the children.

Notes: this is about what the subtitles said - not the most useful set of words. These people are dead/will be, Assad killed them, it's on camera, where's our air force, basically. Having video 2, some added. They specify his eyes are dry, so the one stays open after she pulls the lid up. That means he's not blinking but then, he wasn't hardly breathing and yet alive at first. Opiate overdose might inhibit blinking? Anyway, I suspect he is dead by then, but maybe it's a relevant question. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:22, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Medical Personnel
For further discussion purposes, I create these _ slots for the folks that seem medically relevant (there are some other rescue types with gas masks, other onlookers, the cameramen, obviously...) In order of appearance across both videos, as I see it:

1) Agreed ref. name (TBA): The man with the cap: older, glasses, dark jacket. Seen suctioning Mohammed's mouth, checks heartbeats with a stethoscope, draws Mohammed's blood, injects him. Seems as in charge as anyone but a bit aloof. The cap is called kufi or (more properly) taqiyah - worn for prayers, or all day to say that god is everywhere - "When worn in general, kufis help distinguish you from others and serve as a reminder to exhibit exemplary behavior in every situation," according to this source. It makes me think religious scholar of the highly-revered kind, but checking that is a certain super-white and rigid taqiyah. But still it suggests a religious man, and the glasses say scholar - he may have a clerical role declaring people religiously dead.
 * (my nickname came out: "Taleb" - student/scholar. But it makes it seem he named the family after himself)--Caustic Logic (talk) 10:25, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

2) Agreed ref name: Female nurse, covered head-to-toe in a burqa, liberal eyebrows-visible style, plus surgical mask.

3) Nurse (? male) in blue scrubs, street shoes, gloves, mask. Stands around Mohammed with the female nurse at first, seems to do little.

4) rescue worker, denim jacket, gas mask Vid 1 1:05

5) rescue workers, green hoodie, surgical mask Vid 1 1:05

6) doctor, stripes: enters the room finally at 1:34 in the first video.

7) black jacket (vid 2 0:07, right side: trying plausible resuscitation on Sara)

Correlating Symptoms
(re-organized from above and expanded)

Chlorine Gassing Symptoms

 * ''See also Talk:Alleged Chemical Attack, August 21, 2013


 * "Medical Diseases of the War" by Arthur Hurst, M.A., MD (Oxon), FRCP.
 * The first effect of inhalation of chlorine is a burning pain in the throat and eyes, accompanied by a sensation of suffocation; pain, which may be severe, is felt in the chest, especially behind the sternum. Respiration becomes painful, rapid, and difficult ; coughing occurs, and the irritation of the eyes results in profuse lachrymation. Retching is common and may be followed by vomiting, which gives temporary relief. The lips and mouth are parched and the tongue is covered with a thick dry fur. Severe headache rapidly follows with a feeling of great weakness in the legs; if the patient gives way to this and lies down, he is likely to inhale still more chlorine, as the heavy gas is most concentrated near the ground. In severe poisoning unconsciousness follows; nothing more is known about the cases which prove fatal on the field within the first few hours of the "gassing," except that the face assumes a pale greenish yellow colour.


 * When a man lives long enough to be admitted into a clearing station, he is conscious, but restless; his face is violet red, and his ears and finger nails blue ; his expression strained and anxious as he gasps for breath; he tries to get relief by sitting up with his head thrown back, or he lies in an exhausted condition, sometimes on his side with his head over the edge of the stretcher in order to help the escape of fluid from the lungs. His skin is cold and his temperature subnormal; the pulse is full and rarely over 100. Respiration is jerky, shallow and rapid, the rate being often over 40 and sometimes even 80 a minute ; all the auxiliary muscles come into play, the chest being over-distended at the height of inspiration and, as in asthma, only slightly less distended in extreme expiration. Frequent and painful coughing occurs and some frothy sputum is brought up. The lungs are less resonant than normal, but not actually dull, and fine riles with occasional rhonchi and harsh but not bronchial breathing are heard, especially over the back and sides. Headache is generally severe, and there is also considerable epigastric discomfort, due partly to the strain of coughing and partly to gastric irritation, as it is increased if an attempt is made to eat.


 * The intense dyspncea of this asphyxial stage lasts about thirty-six hours, after which it gradually subsides, if death does not occur before. The patient, exhausted from his fight for breath, then falls asleep and wakes up feeling much relieved. A few hours later acute bronchitis or broncho-pneumonia develops. In severe cases the quiescent interval is short and the bronchitis very severe. The sputum is now viscid, yellow or greenish, and muco-purulent with occasional streaks of blood. Respiration becomes more shallow and rapid, and the rate may finally be even 70 or 80 a minute. The pulse is small and very rapid ; the temperature rises, and is often as high as 104. The patient may now become delirious. Pleurisy may occur, and in some instances empyema and gangrene of the lung have followed.


 * After recovery from the bronchitis and pneumonia the patient remains weak and exhausted for a considerable time. He gets tired very rapidly and is unable to walk quickly or up hill without getting short of breath, even after the last signs of bronchitis have disappeared. He may continue to have attacks of dyspncea and cyanosis for several weeks. The frightful experience he has passed through often affects his nervous system, and some of the attacks are doubtless aggravated by apprehension. Headache, vertigo and dyspepsia may continue for several weeks. --Charles Wood (talk) 01:00, 18 March 2015 (UTC)

Everybody including John Kerry and the US State Department is saying this was chlorine. Maybe it was. What I find most interesting is that the symptoms and the whole "operation" seem strikingly similar to the Ghouta CW attack. We and others should compare the footage and note the similarities and differences, if any. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 11:31, 20 March 2015 (UTC)

Chlorine in Sarmin: Described and Observed
It's established already the core victims do not display the classic symptoms od chlorine exposure (explained around, compare lists above and below). But classic chlorine symptoms might legitimately appear in other portions of the alleged attack (which would then be an apparent fusion of incidents). The signs are described me activist medics, and are claimed to appear on video.--Caustic Logic (talk) 12:29, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

Described: Amnesty International's report lists symptoms: “reddened eyes, shortness of breath, continuous coughing, respiratory distress, vomiting, and drooling from the mouth.” But they didn't observe the symptoms first-hand, with any of the Talebs or with anybody - rather, "a doctor and a civil defence worker told Amnesty International" this is what the victims looked and acted like. MSF: "The events and symptoms described by the medical staff of the hospital leave no doubt as to the presence of chlorine poisoning." They also ruled out other agents, like improperly used drugs, which MSF helps supply. The hospital director said “the air smelt of cleaning products and their clothes had the distinctive smell of chlorine.” It was too dark to see if there was a neon-green cloud or not. Again, this is passed on. They also heard and reported “There were 20 patients in serious condition, agitated, foaming blood at the mouth and showing skin rashes.” the blood part may be inconsistent - above, Hurst mentions blood only as a feature of the recovery from the asphyxial (acute, life-threatening) stage, usually 36 hours. After that, a span of sleep, and a short time of relief, it says, so about 48 hours after, "acute bronchitis or broncho-pneumonia develops. In severe cases the quiescent interval is short and the bronchitis very severe. The sputum is now viscid, yellow or greenish, and muco-purulent with occasional streaks of blood." But it could be this is a legit claim anyway. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:29, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

Observed: There are about three videos from the main clinic where rebel fighters and others get treated. Could one of our more qualified members write up an analysis of any portion of this that helps explain: how consistent is that with chlorine? Does the narrative break down at the Taleb symptoms or at chlorine itself? --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:29, 4 April 2015 (UTC)
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzGcHdR2AVs #8 on Petri's list
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugV0eDnYmUU #9
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovPKtOjOx7g #15
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ja_Osq_RTqU
 * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvt6ox5QlJA

Opiate Overdose Symptoms

 * This is a useful guide to recognizing an opiate overdose: http://harmreduction.org/issues/overdose-prevention/overview/overdose-basics/recognizing-opioid-overdose/

"The following are symptoms of an overdose:
 * Awake, but unable to talk
 * Body is very limp
 * Face is very pale or clammy
 * Fingernails and lips turn blue or purplish black
 * For lighter skinned people, the skin tone turns bluish purple, for darker skinned people, it turns grayish or ashen.
 * Breathing is very slow and shallow, erratic, or has stopped
 * Pulse (heartbeat) is slow, erratic, or not there at all
 * Choking sounds, or a snore-like gurgling noise (sometimes called the “death rattle”)
 * Vomiting
 * Loss of consciousness
 * Unresponsive to outside stimulus"

This corresponds closely to what we see in the children. I think opiate overdose is the most likely diagnosis because few other drugs cause severe respiratory depression without causing deep coma. Insulin for instance would produce deep coma but not depress respiration. As for the intracardiac injection, maybe they got the idea from the overdose scene in Pulp Fiction. It's obvious that they haven't a clue how to make their act look plausible. The correct use of intracardiac adrenaline is to provoke ventricular fibrillation when a heart monitor shows asystole (flat trace), followed by defibrillation to restore a heart rhythm.

This overdose isn't likely to be accidental. The sources cited by CL emphasize that dilated pupils can occur in an opiate overdose if other drugs have been taken or if (as in child N1) respiration has been depressed enough to cause severe hypoxia. So dilated pupils don't exclude morphine. Meperidine appears to be still widely used in Turkish military hospitals: are meperidine injectors issued to combat medics in the Turkish military (and to JAN?). Pmr9 (talk) 12:12, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

Meperidine Overdose Symptoms
Meperidine because it likely wasn't brand-name Demerol. --Caustic Logic (talk) 03:46, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

spacer: main info here, whoever, whenever, and delete this --Caustic Logic (talk) 03:49, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

One point raised, a crucial one, is the dilated pupils that point away from most opiates (as well as sarin, for example). Just thought I'd check, and it seems mainstream sources don't usually note this difference, but some do. I'm guessing this is a real but little-known fact and most people just swap in general opioid OD symptoms when giving the symptoms for this unusual one. What some reference sites say about pupils in meperidine overdose:
 * rxlist, pinpoint
 * drugs.com, pinpoint
 * drugs.com, different page: dilated
 * drugaddictiontreatment.com, dliated
 * Merck Manuals: miotic (pinpoint)
 * EMS world: "The classic toxidrome associated opioid toxicity is CNS depression, respiratory depression and miosis (constricted pupils)." However, "Mydriasis (dilated pupils) can occur secondary to coingestants or signal cerebral hypoxia secondary to respiratory depression.9 If miosis is absent but other symptoms of the opioid toxidrome are present along with physical evidence on scene, it is safe to treat with opioid overdose as your working diagnosis." (they probably didn't) --Caustic Logic (talk) 03:46, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

Other Chemicals
Focusing on the Mydriasis there are two candidates that may be worth investigating

Insulin

Overdose of Insulin is an established murder method. Mydriasis is a common side-effect.

Adrenaline & Dopamine

A standard last-resort treatment for heart failure including directly into the heart, but via other means before it gets to the desperate stage. Charles Wood

Taleb Family Symptoms
We've already been covering this as a main section in different spots. I suggest re-organizing it in this spot. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:35, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
 * This could/should go right to the front page, but let's get it right first. Skimming above, I have enough points to start a symptoms list. Anyone step in un-signed like this is the front page to improve or add a symptom, re-arrange the order, etc. Let's consider all, especially ones that might be consistent with chlorine, to consider that carefully. Symptom-by-symptom, with individual variation notes within each entry. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:38, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * respiration: Only Mohammed is clearly alive, breathing slightly, but not struggling for air. (whenever he stops breathing is unclear, it's that minimal) Aysha may be alive, and is said to be breathing, but it's not visually evident (except maybe at the one spot)
 * Muscles: flaccid, motionless. The girls might be dead but Mohammed is alive and also very limp and passive, doesn't visibly move at all except for that first yawn-like breath.
 * Skin: color is pale, may be sweaty/clammy, lips are mildly cyanotic, skin is generally clear of injuries, and of redness or other sign or irritation.
 * The vid linked to above "Sarmeen choked" shows a few seconds at the end of a close up of the older girl -- her lips are quite pink. There is moderate variability in such points where cyanosis would be found.Pierpont (talk) 14:14, 3 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Could be, but that's the orange-filter video. Same footage is in video 2, 1:02. A better measure, and still kind of pink. Later photo, maybe a bit more cyanotic looking, but that's later and her eyes got darker too. So not the clearest case anyway. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:56, 4 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Mucous/vomit: generally not evident. Only Mohammed is producing a stream of whitish fluid from his moth and bubbles from his nose (clearly complicating his lackluster efforts at breathing).
 * eyes: rheumy, not irritated or red. Pupils may be dilated.
 * lachrymation (tears): Aysha's eyes are clearly watering...
 * complete or near-complete lack of response to external stimulus: (in some but not all case may be caused by actual death)
 * other?


 * Perhaps it's not technically a "symptom" but there is the oddly stained R palm of the woman. Reddish brown -- looks like the old mecurochrome topical antiseptic, which is no longer used in the States.  Similarly colored spots seen on the white sheets under her head and over Mohammed's L eye.
 * Definitely not a symptom but a clue. You also have said there's an injury on the boy's elbow. But it's the same color - old bruise maybe, or this brown fluid - someone said iodine, maybe meaning Merbromin/mercurochrome - is this antiseptic used for injections? --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:06, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Dilated Pupils?
(intro space)

Some enhancements to let us see if we can see irises relative to pupils.

Mohammed: looks like blue-gray iris (first enhancement) but more enhancement ruins that, and it doesn't come through in other views. Note red-brown band around all edges here. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:35, 1 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Re-done with both eyes and only the first enhancement. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:30, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Mohammed: here, it looks like the iris is reddish brown, but is that maybe just that edge effect? Or conversely, is the blue another kind of artifact? --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:30, 2 April 2015 (UTC)



Mohammed again: right eye again shows faint color; looks like light blue-gray again. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:30, 2 April 2015 (UTC)



Aysha: Little doubt she has blue eyes. Seeming hazy in the top view and clearer later. Pupils not clear, but there seems to be a good amount of iris here; if dilated, not nearly as much as Mohammed's seem to be. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:30, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

VDC Records
For what it's worth here, All chemical and toxic gas victims from March 16 = 6, all civilian, and the first poison gas victims listed since some rebel fighters in Harasta in December. As Amnesty noted "The injured included a small number of fighters from the Free Syrian Army armed group, but the vast majority were civilians." And all the dead were civilian. All from the one family from Sarmeen, these records say. Notes for all, unless different: "Six people killed of the same family due to regime`s forces use of chlorine gas via explosive barrel bombs which caused their suffocation and death." Note: as usual, married women are listed with "maiden names."
 * Ayosh Hasan Qaaq AF, 65, one child video of the martyrextra clinic video
 * Waref Mohammad Taleb AM, age 35, Married with 3 Children, other's Name Ayosh Hasan Qaaq. Facebook page individual video - same clinic video
 * Alaa Aljati AF, married with 3 children
 * Sara Waref Mohammad Taleb CF, age 2, Mother's Name Alaa Aljati
 * Aysha Waref Mohammad Taleb CF, 3, Mother's Name Alaa Aljati (no individual video, of course, nor that I noticed shown anywhere)
 * Mohammad Waref Mohammad Taleb CM, 1, Mother's Name Alaa Aljati

They give 5 videos with each entry, 2 extra with Waref (the father) and Ayosh (his mother). Would take a little comparing with Petri's playlist above to see if anything new here. Probably not. --Caustic Logic (talk)
 * 1) Generic Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPa_6CoYD_o
 * 2) Generic Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6c6A1Qnbbw
 * 3) Generic Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vc9cuH1icHo
 * 4) Generic Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIlBRb2aFzo
 * 5) Generic Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovPKtOjOx7g


 * One in five was in my YouTube playlist. I added the others. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 22:06, 22 March 2015 (UTC)

Pierpont, above: "CL, thanks for coming up with the names of the victims." Well, HRW had them all too, and even our scant front page already does. But was worth the details VDC's entries add. And the names they give are never gospel - I've caught apparent name/ID alteration before (at least with the Khunayfis Massacre of an Alawi family killed at their farm after rebels shelled it, hauled to and passed off as shelling victims in a nearby rebel town). But, it's what we have to work with. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:44, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

Video Analysis
(non-medical/other)

Attack Site Video
Video 7 on the list: Sarmeen, Idlib:the site that occurred the massacre of chemical (translated) This shows a home, damaged in what seems to be the kitchen, by a powerful explosion. The rest of the home appears intact but for some burning near the blast. Any serious ransacking was cleaned-up. The only thing that seems really out-of-place, and argues against clean-up, is the little foyer room (?) with white curtain, seen at 0:22 - with its floor completely full of blood, as it looks to me lightened a bit here to help). There is virtually no room for this much injury in the activist story. This is the kind of blood puddle the baby discussed below might have stepped in. --Caustic Logic (talk) 06:26, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

There were nowhere near enough clues to geo-locate this as in Sarmin, Binnish, or other. If anyone finds a longer video with more outdoors clues, let me know. --Caustic Logic (talk) 06:26, 30 March 2015 (UTC)


 * If it's fresh, where is the concrete dust? The place is far too clean for a recent explosion; and the possible bomb fragments at the start are far too rusted.
 * True, it doesn't appear dusty, as if it's been rained and blown on since. If that's bomb remnants, they too appear weathered. It would be bad if an old bombing site is the best they could come up with; not even a current attack site! Worst thing though is the blood, unless that's some other dark liquid ... that looks fresh. So are they taking people to old attack sites, just to kill them there, to say the attack killed them? Even though we don't see them there anyway, just the blood, that contradicts the story of chlorine gas and no trauma. And I didn't see any sign of a basement in this place, like the Talebs were said to be in - must allegedly be in another home. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:58, 30 March 2015 (UTC)


 * But on the other hand, I can't buy this yet. Visibly dusty or not, the place looks recently lived-in, and not likely by squatters. Clothes, toys, a made bed, baby stroller and shoes by the door, house plants set out in the sun (can't see if they're wilted, the larger ones, maybe drooping a bit). --Caustic Logic (talk) 11:22, 30 March 2015 (UTC)


 * I considered that and thought maybe it have been re-occupied? Perhaps by a displaced family? Not sure. This is not so much to bend a narrative but supply reasonable 'potential inferences' for the reason for a building is dustlessly damaged.--Charles Wood (talk) 11:27, 30 March 2015 (UTC)


 * There are all kinds of possibilities. Kind of a wreck to just leave if living there, but kind of a mess to deal with too. Eh, I don't know. Recentness of bombing is questioned at least. The blood is unexplained and unsettling. --Caustic Logic (talk) 13:58, 30 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Others seem to agree the blood is suspicious. This pro-rebel video compilation features the home scene at 2:47. It shows the old-looking bomb damage, then cuts to the bedroom, ignoring the floor of blood even better than that cameraman did/ Very slick. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:13, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

One more thing, for location and context; it's not a normal home. Not sure how to read this, but it seems set into a dug-out stone area and it is apparently beneath a larger structure, supported with those pillars. (does that itself make this a "basement?" Not a very enclosed one if so) This dug into the rock thing could be an illusion, or a common thing all over, but it might be unique suggest a sort of stony area. What kind of stone this is, I can't say. But there's a pretty white patch, I guess exposed lime-stone, in the near corner of Binnish, with a few homes that might be dug into that. Might be nothing. --Caustic Logic (talk) 14:30, 30 March 2015 (UTC)
 * These clues continue to fit with another video, claiming to show the attack site from outside. It looks like an old building with an arch mostly covered with debris. We don't get to see inside, but there might be pillars and that blown up kitchen a ways in. The street view could maybe be geolocated, presuming Sarmin, but the clues are a bit thin and I decided not to bother for now, if ever. --[[User:Caustic Logic|Caustic Logic] (talk) 23:13, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Baby Transfer Video
video 3 "An important sarmeen, Idlib: air strike استخهدفت city am" - apparently a morning video after the attacks night before. Still it seems like immediate response to the/a bombing shows (around 2:00) a baby (not one of the Taleb fatalities) is brought to the ambulance, near an impact site, but driven from somewhere else, carried by a running man to the ambulance, urgently taken away. Everyone's frantic, it's a race to stop something, like the kid is dying. There's no great view, but what we see is no outward signs of poisoning or even distress, no real blood or sign of injury. Something bad happened; he or she (the blue makes me switch to he) is not with his family anymore, but seems really calm anyway. No respiration given, or seeming needed, but maybe poisoned and it's just not clear.

One interesting clue is the bit of blood, probably not his own, you can see on his socks at 2:33. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:36, 28 March 2015 (UTC) and Caustic Logic (talk) 08:18, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

In the next video at 0:12 same child, in a hospital bed with no ventilation or anything, and getting less calm as they pull off his pants. The baby has a possible wound to the left thigh, but it's not bleeding if so (birth mark?), and possible bruising of the legs. At the very end, a doctor is working on something, and we can see bloody toes. But that's the right foot, same one with a soaked sock; it may not be his own blood, but related to the missing rest of his family. But it might be a minor foot injury. Still doesn't seem that urgent. A baby girl without family is brought in then by a bearded rebel fighter. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:36, 28 March 2015 (UTC)


 * So this must be a day after video, since it's dated 3-17 and the attack was the night of the 16th. Presuming late morning, the video starts driving west. The main strip in the north of town fits (details on the right before the dust cloud are quite clear, the rest consistent if general) and I say that's where it starts (inset image). Near the NW corner of town they turn north. The ambulance and this van take a (distraction?) route a bit to the left/west, near an alley with damage. Then behind them a van and a large truck (capable of blocking an intersection) arrive in that order. The truck lets the cameraman through anyway as the van turns right and parks. Another van with the baby was waiting, locally at least, coming from the north. If there's a neighboring town involved, it's most likely Binnish, to the north. The van they load the kid into is clearly marked with Arabic writing and the "civil defense idlib" logo seen on videos. They depart to the east, in what feels a bit like some sort of scam. --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:18, 29 March 2015 (UTC)


 * The scam would be avoidance of the ambulance. Why, I don't know. I saw this kind of thing in Libya; a body removal truck arrives just before a "regime sniper" kills a guy - he's loaded, the truck takes him away, the crowd blocks the proper ambulance. But that was at the start, when there was a functioning gov. and medical system to avoid. This is ostensibly all rebel=held area. Situation in Syria map buts Sarmin and Binnish both under joint al-Nusrah/some Islamic group joint control. (civil defense I guess is connected to the latter) It seems both camps had media access to the victims, so any ambulance they had to ditch would be someone else yet. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:12, 31 March 2015 (UTC)


 * A simple rule to follow if in doubt is Beware Bearded Men Bearing Babes --Charles Wood (talk) 12:23, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

The "civil defense" van heads east, apparently towards whatever clinic the baby is next seen in. I couldn't start to place that. It doesn't seem to be the same place where the Talebs died, but maybe (different rooms). This area clearly has more space to work. Anyway, I checked Wikimapia for the Rabic labels for hospital and clinic. It goes by closes first, the closest was a clinic in Binnish. These places probably are in there somewhere, but just not labeled. too bad, one shortcut down. --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:12, 31 March 2015 (UTC)

The Barrel Bombs
There is stuff shown on video that looks like barrel bomb remnants. I for one have always suspected Syria was using these, improvised, dropped from the air, and used effectively, and this is what pisses rebels off and makes them want to demonize the things with dead civilians they can always find at a moment's notice. Slightly covered on one page here: Aleppo "Barrel Bombs Massacre" I highly doubt they're used to release chlorine, as this is illegal and not likely to be very effective anyway. I definitely don't believe these things can inject locals in rebel turf with a deadly dose of opiates. What does anyone else think about these bombs, in general and in context? --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:29, 27 March 2015 (UTC)


 * The video showing the bomb fragments had clearly been assembled and laid out for view. It's very doubtful they were related to the hole they showed at the start as it was far too small for a bomb that size.


 * The small cannisters they showed would not have been that shape and size if they had been in the explosion of hundreds of kilos of medium grade explosive. They would have been crushed and/or torn to pieces. I'll accept the main bomb fragment as probably genuine as I've seen plenty of 'real' thin-wall bomb cannisters torn that way. -- Charles Wood 05:42, 29 March 2015


 * Great points I hadn't thought of yet. Indeed, they're more displayed, presumably after being gathered from nearby - but one token piece laid in the 'crater' as if they wanted to send mixed signals on that (?). The canisters might be how they disperse chlorine, maybe just the night before. The barrel bomb, probably remains from a real attack them pissed them off somewhere else nearby. Alleged video, above, claims to show a fresh hit in daylight on the 17th. And looks legit. So something like that, but earlier. --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:30, 29 March 2015 (UTC)

March 23 Alleged Attack
Video (all Arabic) claims a second barrel bomb on March 23, hit an orchard-looking area, again with chlorine, but only mild cases this time and no deaths. --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:57, 23 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Another March 23 video (Arabic) has testimony of a woman who lives in the area that was exposed to chlorine gas. I thought it was re: the last attack, but is likely about this one, filmed in an orchard-looking area. --Caustic Logic (talk) 10:05, 23 March 2015 (UTC)

Chlorine is clearly claimed by by rebels: -- Petri Krohn (talk) 03:44, 31 March 2015 (UTC)
 * Assad Regime Drops Chlorine Barrel Bombs As Jabhat al-Nusra, Rebels Battle For Idlib - Alessandria Masi, March 24 2015

More Assad Chlorine Gas Attacks - Courtesy Brown Moses...
(March 26)
 * New Assad Gas attack #1
 * New Assad Gas attack #2
 * New Assad Gas attack #3

--Charles Wood (talk) 11:46, 26 March 2015 (UTC)

White Helmets
(Starting off the above...)


 * The same original content from the first attack has been distributed on YouTube with two different logos. One logo is the al-Nusra logo that is also seen in these three videos distributed by Coordinating Srmin. The other logo is blue and yellow and is also seen on the ambulance and the back of the medic. This means that the Coordinating Committee, al-Nusra, and the ambulance team and their propagandists are all tied closely together. This calls into question the neutrality of the reporting and the videos. -- Petri Krohn (talk) 03:21, 27 March 2015 (UTC)


 * I've seen a group calling themselves "White Helmets" who are active on twitter and have some link to the alleged gas attack videos. I think they are Civil Defence? Or at least say they are. Links to Jabhat al-Nusra tends to say they aren't neutral. --Charles Wood (talk) 03:31, 27 March 2015 (UTC)
 * The White Helmets claim to be a civil defense force specializing in digging up victims from bombed out buildings. They may in fact be a US State Department funded infowar operation for intervention and a war of aggression in the name of a "No-Fly Zone" to protect civilians.
 * A am doubtful if barrel bombs even exist. Maybe we should investigate. A wider question is if airstrikes on civilian targets and the "collateral damage" / civilian victims is really a problem in Syria. Most of the destruction is likely the result of artillery bombardment. Even in Ukraine there are only a few tens of civilian victims of air power. Why would Assad need airplanes to "kill his own people?" -- Petri Krohn (talk) 02:23, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Here's their site: https://www.whitehelmets.org/ Good news, they're "unarmed and neutral." Their issue is barrel bombs, often filled with chlorine, and they don't mention the weird type of chlorine with unusual symptoms... and how there's a neutral need for a "no fly zone." Linked to by an activist video compilation I left a helpful comment at (if it remains) --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:53, 2 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Oh, and it specifies "the Syrian Civil Defence - known as the White Helmets." They're the ones with the blue and yellow logos, and I presume the black-and-yellow blankets. Maybe they're like a new non-neutral replacement for the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, who continue cooperating with the government and won't even need to try operating in areas like this. I wonder if there are any issue with the SARC that would lead to such a replacement plan? --Caustic Logic (talk) 12:58, 2 April 2015 (UTC)

Their website looks like it came out of some smart New York or London Advertising Agency. In fact it did. It's an obvious branding exercise using the iconic white helmet as the easy to remember visual key.

I've done some basic snooping and it's associated with The Syria Campaign. I guess the idea is to move up Google rank by cross-linking the sites.

'white helmets' itself is a product of 'Purpose' a Brooklyn based organisation with offices in London and Rio de Janeiro. Their 'Team' shows what they are - an upmarket media communications company. The Purpose Team

Certainly no Syrians were involved in creating the White Helmets!--Charles Wood (talk) 23:47, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Oh shit, they even have a Global Head of Cetacean Affairs. They really must be the good guys! -- Petri Krohn (talk) 14:45, 3 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Minor update on Purpose - the key player for White Helmets may be Alison Weiner - see the Team. From her blurb:


 * Ali graduated from Yale University with degrees in history and political science and a concentration in journalism. After graduation, she joined the Clinton Global Initiative, where she was responsible for drafting briefing memos and other communications for President Bill Clinton


 * i.e. Establishment Linked as are other Team players.--Charles Wood (talk) 23:58, 2 April 2015 (UTC)


 * That's about what I would guess from the overly-slick vibe I got. Thanks for a little follow-up. Yes, they're not any kind of desperately needed mission to counter all the NY-style missions helping wreck the world's nations at record rate. They're just another in the well-funded chain. Go team! Mission: get paid and don't wonder why! --Caustic Logic (talk) 08:40, 3 April 2015 (UTC)


 * According to a spreadsheet I've acquired they got a just under $1 million from Oak foundation for non Syrian related 'activist' marketing. Given the number of high-power Team members I'd expect income of the order of $5 million annually from probably(?) Soros related funds.


 * More research shows they have a portfolio of topics they market - LGBT, Climate Change, and Syria being the major ones. Various 'empowerment' and 'women' topics pop up but don't seem to be mainstream.


 * The best guess is they are a niche marketing agency who focus on profitable topics especially ones that can get a strong US/European consumer reaction. Hence the inevitable donate button on their various websites. However it's virtually certain they get the majority of their funding from 'interested parties' who may or may not be traceable to various Nation States.


 * As for White Helmets? I'd say that is a complete creation of Purpose They may have bought in some Syrian Activists and written them up as local heroes, but the evidence is they started seriously marketing them around 2014-08-11T19:50:31Z (When Alison Weiner registered the domain name).


 * Chlorine bombs? Sounds like they needed a new marketable atrocity and have been watching too much Absolute Power --Charles Wood (talk) 13:11, 3 April 2015 (UTC)


 * About Those Chlorine Gas Attacks in Syria Humanitarians for War, part 2. By Rick Sterling, founding member of Syria Solidarity Movement (and ACLOS site member). Counterpunch, April 3, 2015.
 * In reality the White Helmets is a project created by the UK and USA. Training of civilians in Turkey has been overseen by former British military officer and current contractor, James Le Mesurier. Promotion of the program is done by “The Syria Campaign” supported by the foundation of billionaire Ayman Asfari. The White Helmets is clearly a public relations project which has received glowing publicity from HuffPo to Nicholas Kristof at the NYT. White Helmets have been heavily promoted by the U.S. Institute of Peace (U.S.IP) whose leader began the press conference by declaring “U.S.IP has been working for the Syrian Revolution from the beginning”.


 * Apart from the PR work, White Helmets work in areas of Aleppo and Idlib controlled by Nusra (Al Queda). The video from a medical clinic on March 16 starts with a White Helmets logo. The next video of same date and place continues with the Nusra logo.


 * US and UK tax dollars pay for a program which has an appealing rescue component and is then used to market and promote the USA and UK policy of regime change in Syria in de facto alliance with Nusra.


 * The fake “independence and neutrality” of White Helmets is shown by their active promotion of a No Fly Zone.

--Caustic Logic (talk) 08:37, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

More Attacks
Apparently we're up to six total now? BioPrep watch reports:
 * Last week five attacks on the Idlib region were reported by hospitals and medical associations operating in the area including the Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) and Doctors Without Borders. Both organizations reported black government helicopters dropping barrels of what they later determined was chlorine gas in Samrin, Binnish and Qaminas.


 * The most recent attack was carried out on March 24, SAMS reported. It left two dead and 20 injured with chlorine poisoning.

March 31, Idlib City
And the al-Arabiya article I just looked at says at least one more since; a top photo is captioned "Civil Defense members spray water on a rebel fighter, affected by what activists said was a gas attack, in Idlib city March 31, 2015. (Reuters)" Of course that's because it's just now been "liberated." -- Caustic Logic

News search suggests at least no one died in this and it didn't make big news. The gas apparently was chlorine, but I did a Twitter search for gas + Idlib. There's video (SMART agency, wtf are they?), pictures of barrel debris, a statement that "Only 2 of the barrel bombs that Assad forces dropped on #Idlib last night contained chlorine gas according to #Syria Civil Defence." that there were 4 total, that "2 barrel bombs filled with Chlorine gas hit "security box" of #Idlib & 2 others fell in area of the mills." Also we learn "Assad started his revenge from civilians in Idlib the new liberated city " and NOW English (Lebanon) says "#Syria regime reportedly planning to "destroy" #Idlib with Scud missiles, chlorine gas." --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:47, 3 April 2015 (UTC)
 * tweet with goofy branding graphic, mentions a March 29 attack on central Idlib as well (?) --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:11, 3 April 2015 (UTC)
 * Al-Aan reports (Arabic) "This is the third attack of its kind with chlorine Poison on the city of Idlib during the month, after the targeted areas sarmeen وقميناس." --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:14, 3 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Note: taking a city doesn't just happen. You know the plans. That this punishment lines up with the "liberation" only makes sense. That it was just pre-illustrated by a reminder attack, suggests the same planners planned both, around this schedule. That only 6 and then 0 died so far suggests there is at least one more newsworthy attack planned, with far more than 6 "anticipated" to die. There's a fresh city full (not full but not empty) of targets to pick. This might be a big thing for them, like Ghouta 2.0. The PR front's in place, this has been building since August at least. So, it may be very important that we get the word out (no one else is really, just doubting and speculating, which is great as a starting point). --Caustic Logic (talk) 22:53, 3 April 2015 (UTC)


 * Smart News Agency Syrian Revolutionary Media Action Team. Associated with or the product of French based Association de Soutien aux Médias Libres - ASML- out of Saint-Ouen ASML Despite being French based it may have some Syrian contributors, though I notice the White Helmets getting in on the act and the French web-sites have lot of jargon in common with Purpose


 * Their website was designed by Advocate Hypermedia a Paris based organisation similar to Purpose but smaller? Advocate Hypermedia's claim to fame is developing Hollande's election Campaign Media delivery systems. See Slick Teaser - watch subsequent clips for more detail. --Charles Wood (talk) 23:13, 3 April 2015 (UTC)
 * I love this: attempted English acronym fail. Syrian Revolutionary Media Action Team (SRMAT) clearly sounds smarter as SMART if u can't spell. Did Homer Simpson come up with it? "I am so smart, I am so smart, S-M-R-T, I mean S-M-A-R-T" (I suppose it's actually fair enough and smart, I just couldn't help making that link) --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:36, 4 April 2015 (UTC)

OPCW investigation
Reuters reports that OPCW will investigate the 16 March attack. If this is officially announced, we should consider preparing a written submission. I think we have enough consensus on this talk page to prepare a front-page article now. Pmr9 (talk) 15:09, 27 March 2015 (UTC)


 * I was thinking we should draft a PDF report from this, send them that, and then use the report to structure the main page. It's a bit of work, best done by e-mail. I'll be in touch on this.--Caustic Logic (talk) 22:28, 27 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Okay, for a submission, we should use their language/format, and go by the right timeline, with whatever best form we have at the moment. In the meantime, we should work on getting the PDF up, mention that to them (it'll be public and pretty explicit, if it isn't already done). And direct them to the front page, which could be done anytime, and might start soon. The report, I'm heading up, with Pmr9 at least agreeing to contribute. Will take many days at least, likely a few weeks, depending... Just before one month after would be a good time if I can swing that. But done right and promoted, it could be big. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:16, 28 March 2015 (UTC)


 * Submission idea: we should acknowledge the limits of our probe - just video ('telemedicine"). But also how much better that is than what anyone else provided yet (the poison and the symptoms actually match here!), and so noting we have the best-yet, ask for a better-yet: a scientific investigation, with tissue samples/etc. from these six victims, verified, and not some stand-ins mildly does with the right poison. Also, a verification of the sixth victim actually dying instead of, say, being sold into sex slavery in one of the Gulf Monarchies - would also be helpful. Maybe not these exact words, but that kind of request, from a position of strength. --Caustic Logic (talk) 23:16, 28 March 2015 (UTC)

April 2: Still nothing on their site about Syria and chlorine newer than about May last year. Nothing on Syria at all since August, when the last sarin precursors were destroyed. That is a long time out of the chemical spotlight. No wonder "Assad" had to come up with this useless reminder. Just now, Al-Arabiya reports U.N. official says no Syria chlorine probe yet: "U.N. disarmament chief Angela Kane told reporters Thursday that the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has not yet started looking into the latest claims." Well, at least they're not done already, that's good in a way. Maybe someone in Turkey saw the science coming and got Uzumcu to permanently stall the thing? --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:39, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Avaaz Petition
I just got by e-mail a request to sign the petition for "a targeted No Fly Zone" (so maybe not exactly a Western or US-led air war against Syria like the one that ruined Libya). :''The Syrian air force just dropped chlorine gas bombs on children. But President Obama is considering a No Fly Zone that could stop these chemical weapon murders. He needs urgent public support to save tens of thousands of lives. Every signature makes a safe zone more likely: (space for another name)'' They say they already have 900,000 signatures, and maybe a full million will make the difference. To start, I didn't signs.
 * ...One humanitarian worker said ‘I wish the world could see what I have seen with my eyes. It breaks your heart forever.’--Caustic Logic (talk) 23:14, 30 March 2015 (UTC)

What kind of response is appropriate to a petition this horrible? Not that I should do it, but maybe ... a counter-petition would probably fail - any other thoughts? --Caustic Logic (talk) 09:45, 3 April 2015 (UTC)

Oh, gawd, here we go again. Recall how it was Clinton's enthusiastic continuation of the Iraqi NFZ and bombing infrastructure, like water treatment facilities, that led to the 500k dead toddlers reported in Lancet that Leslie Stahl asked Mad Albright about on 60 Mins in 1995 -- to which Albright said "It was worth it." It was, of course, prelude to the larger Iraq debacle.Pierpont (talk) 13:58, 3 April 2015 (UTC)