FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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Former Head of British Special Forces: ‘Assad Doesn’t Need To Use Gas’

April 19, 2018 (EIRNS)—Britain’s mass-circulation Daily Mail tabloid reported April 14 that former British Army Maj. Gen. Jonathan Shaw asked, “Why would Assad use chemical weapons at this time? He’s won the war.” Shaw is a former Assistant Chief of Defense Staff and was also Director of Special Forces.

“That’s not just my opinion,” Shaw stated,

“it is shared by senior commanders in the U.S. military. There is no rationale behind Assad’s involvement whatsoever. He’s convinced the rebels to leave occupied areas in buses. He’s gained their territory. So why would he be bothering gassing them?

“The jihadists and the various opposition groups who’ve been fighting against Assad have much greater motivation to launch a chemical weapons attack, and make it look like Assad was responsible. Their motivation being that they want to keep the Americans involved in the war—following Trump saying the U.S. was going to leave Syria for other people to sort out.”

The Mail reports that Shaw’s views were echoed by Adm. Lord West of Spithead, Royal Navy, former First Sea Lord, who said:

“If I was advising President Assad, why would I say use chemical weapons at this point? It doesn’t make any sense. But for the jihadist opposition groups I can see why they would.”

West also stated that

“But one must give Theresa May the benefit of the doubt and trust she has seen some unequivocal evidence which leaves no doubt that Assad was behind the atrocity.”