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Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria’s Shayrat Airbase

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Some media outlets and media “activists” noticed this picture published by the Sputnik news agency from Syria’s Shayrat Airbase that was struck by US missiles earlier this week.

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Click to see the full-size image

The picture showed a number of scattered containers outside one of the airport’s hangars. Immediately, Twitter experts made claims that these containers were some “chemical weapons containers” linking them to an old picture showing Russian Army personnel getting rid of chemical weapons stored in similar containers.

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Few examples of these allegations:

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Most viewers would then consider this to be an “incontestable proof” that the containers inside Shayrat Airbase stored chemical weapons. Though, this assumption ignored some facts:

1) The hangar was targeted, and the United States Department of Defense (DoD) declared that it targeted no chemical weapons in the missile attack.

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Holes in the containers are marked with red squares

2) If the containers did indeed contain chemical weapons previously, this would mean that those weapons were used until they’ve emptied which would mean thousands if not tens of thousands of casualties across Syria as a result of multiple chemical weapons attacks that had  not happen. Furthermore, according to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Syria does not have the ability to neutralize chemical weapons, and did not have the time to do so before the strike.

After the spread of the false allegations, the truth was quickly revealed.

The containers turned out to be ammunition storage for several types of ammo, most significantly cluster bombs. This was the case in the aforementioned Airbase as parts of the RBK-500 cluster bombs are easily identified in the same picture which removes any minimal doubt about the identity of the stored material in the containers.

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Parts of RBK near the containers

With the containers present in the same hangars, the bombs would be directly armed with the cluster munitions prior to combat sorties.

A PMF-1 munition container (general look):

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Click to see the full-size image

A PMF-1 munition container from the base (containers have a similar type of marking):

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Click to see the full-size image

PMF-1 munitions:

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

AO-2,5RT cluster submunitions:

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Click to see the full-size image

Noticeably, the picture also showed another type of cluster munitions dispenser the KMGU the KMU muntions are also stored in such containers.

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

KGMU

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

Click to see the full-size image

Then, a Russian journalist, Evgeniy Poddubnyy,  shared a video proving without a doubt that these containers are for traditional cluster bombs ending the discussion.

Debunking Rumors About Chemical Weapons Containers In Syria's Shayrat Airbase

The video contains Poddubnyy’s video from the Instagram with subtitles:

Worth mentioning, cluster munitions are used by all sides of the Syrian conflict whether through fighter jets or through ground-to-ground cluster rockets.

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chris chuba

cluster bombs are used by all sides of the Syrian conflict whether through fighter jets or through ground-to-ground cluster rockets.

Does this include the Gulf/U.S. backed rebels in the Idlib area? I recall reading that they were using Grad rocket artillery which I figured came from Turkey.

RichardD

Pathocracy – “A system of government created by a small pathological minority that takes control over a society of normal people”

I think that a lot of people around the world watching this latest fabricated cruise missile stunt by the US/Israel tag team of trouble with it’s NATO and GCC cheer leaders would consider pathocracy to be an appropriate term for the Ziocon menace facing humanity. Fortunately the growing Shanghai Cooperation Council ascendancy as a sane, rational, mature government and security organization that places the well being of humanity above the Ziocon model of exploitation, asset stripping and deprivation is effectively countering serial Ziocon Hegelian problem, reaction, solution insanity and perpetual manufactured tragedy with the responsible use of government and security tools to help create a better future for our planet.

Michael Malone

Lol. You’re insane.

RichardD

So you’re a truth hating Zionist, I don’t think anyone is surprised. You people do have a well deserved reputation for lying and hating truth because it exposes all of your crimes against humanity.

Corey O'Donnell

This is an awfully defensive article. I expect better from South Front.

Attrition47

Bollocks

chris chuba

They demonstrated how the same type of container is used for multiple purposes. How is that ‘defensive’?

It makes sense because there is some overlap of purpose. With chemicals you obviously want a secure container, with conventional explosives, you want to minimize secondary explosions in the event of say, a missile attack on a stockpile or for transportation.

jonnyamerican

What a crock of sh!t……”Oh these containers are also used for cluster bombs” Yes, they are also used for gas and chemical weapons………. And using the fact that the US said it did not target chemical weapons, does not prove these containers were no used for gas. And the fact they tried to use that as a defense is telling in of itself!

This is one of the poorest attempts at defense I have ever witnessed…….Ridicules!

FlorianGeyer

@JonnyAmerican, May I politely suggest that you play one of your fantasy video war game’s or even play with yourself in a safe place instead of inflicting others here with your inane ‘ Libtard ‘ rhetoric .

Oh, before I go, may be so bold as to inform you that the correct spelling of the last word in your miserable post is spelt thus :- ‘ ridiculous ‘ and not the jumble of letters that you scrawled,

jonnyamerican

I’m a conservative, not a libertard, and I look at all the facts as they come out. I know facts don’t concern you, but my opinion will always side with the facts. So far, it looks like I am correct, but I will still wait for all the facts to come out. And correcting my spelling only proves you have no point, kinda like calling someone names because you have no argument. I also noticed you did not provide any facts disputing my claim, please feel free to provide them and if I see they are correct, my pinion will change because I am committed to the truth and don’t have an agenda other then getting to the truth of what actually happened. So far, it looks like Russia is covering up their involvement with blowing up the hospital treating those effected so they can hide the facts that chemicals were indeed used. Either way, it will all come out in the wash.

Andyj

So how come a reporter can stand by damaged cans without fearing that one drop of sarin gas will kill him. No, you prove you are a bigot by stating “So far it looks like”. that’s a clear invention within your mind. Can you show me a bubble gum wrapper that disproves the sky?

jonnyamerican

Oh really that proves I am a bigot? Don’t even know what that word means do you? Slightly taken out of context and a bad attempt to demonize me. As far as the gas goes, it could have easily been neutralized before the video. Did not know they can do that huh? Yes they can…….

Andyj

There you go again jonnybigot. Making assumptions without facts not proof. So they hosed down the area and sprayed it with activated charcoal? Nope, not wet. That still would not change the fact a split container will carry on leaking. If unmixed you will see yellow Chlorine gas leaks. There is none. Doctors with Al-Nusra (a banned UK practitioner) claimed the smell was chlorine and it was yellow. Sarin has no colour or smell. The so-called medics there did not need protective suits. Amazing. but wait! This site: “SWEDISH MEDICAL ASSOCIATIONS SAYS WHITE HELMETS MURDERED KIDS FOR FAKE GAS ATTACK VIDEOS”

So once again. Facts weigh you out of this game. Want more?

Your Trump was cucked out to the war mongers. He has now lost his voter base and any credibility he once had.

lvjcr08

So you believe that the Russian reporter is standing next to a pile of containers of Sarin which had been hit by a cruise missile a few hours previously but not completely destroyed only damaged. I think you need to engage brain a bit more before commenting.

judazuk

It wasn’t even Sarin gas used in the attack, because if it was all the people going there to help would be dead… that is how lethal Sarin gas is .

It was clearly a chlorine based gas that got released… because that actually causes choking..as was experienced by the victims… Sarin does not

The people on the video there to help directly after the attack had no protective gear at all…so they would all be dead now if the gas was Sarin..

The really important point here is …why would Assad use chemical weapons in a war he is winning, and less then a week after the US said they no longer prioritised getting rid of him?? Did the Syrian Army bomb the area, yes… was it a weapons cache they bombed, yes … have there been several cases of “rebel” weapons caches that has contained chlorine gas… yes

So most likely scenario… Syrian Army bombed a weapons cache that contained chlorine gas, that then was released.

John Mason

you can’t be certain if any form of gas was used, the only certainty is that their appears to be dead bodies. Very easy to produce a video to show whatever you want and the only way to get to the truth is a full investigation on the bodies and have them identified and the area thoroughly inspected. Doubt that will happen though so till then anything is possible.

judazuk

I can be very certain it is not Sarin gas, that is for sure

Philipp Kämpfer

Oh really? And why? From what I heard, the victims showed all the typical symptoms a nerve agent would cause: Convulsions and jerking, constricted pupils not reacting to light, uncontrollable defecation and urinating, respiratory paralysis…Apart from the problems affecting the respiratory system, none of the symptoms would be caused by chlorine intoxication…

lvjcr08

“uncontrollable defecation and urinating,” Nope. Look again at the white helmets video. Pristine tidy whiteys all round.

judazuk

Heard for where? CNN?

Choking , typical reaction to chlorine gas .. convulsion , gas can lead to that as well ..jerking,…well the people in the videos of actually victims are not doing that.. and no “uncontrollable defecation and urinating” either.

TS

It is very likely that the rebels were making Chlorinate based explosives in their dugout cave: K:Cl-O3 . One of the most powerful binary explosives known. Potassium-Chlorate and 8-10% rosin perhaps with a little sulfur. Makes a great booster for ANFO and easier to ignite to detonation that C4 or TNT.

Philipp Kämpfer

So chlorine causes convulsions and constricted pupils? Seriously? And as far as I have heard, helpers were indeed injured during their work on patients

judazuk

your missing the point …if it was Sarin gas the “helpers” would not be “injured” . .they would be dead

Philipp Kämpfer

Since this would be containers for binary nerve agents, there would not be much to be feared of as long as there is no proper chemical reaction between the two separately stored components…and it would be rather implausible that something like this would happen, even if the containers were leaking.

lvjcr08

“there would not be much to be feared of as long as there is no proper chemical reaction between the two” You are kidding right? The Syrian authorities would let a Russian reporter next to what you say could be leaking containers of chemical which if mixed together produce Sarin. If the guy doesn’t collapse and die on the spot, then we will have some good footage . Come off it and admit they were not gas containers!

Real Anti-Racist Action

Hello zionist shrill. An American Patriot has exposed your true loyalties. Enjoy the show. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShxBV9ccEE

jonnyamerican

You are funny and must be retarded. If you bothered to search my profile, since I hide nothing, you can easily see what I support and don’t. A Zionist shill, man you are a far reaching nerd!

Philipp Kämpfer

Antisemites proof every day that they are dumb as shit. The guys in the video for sure aren’t “Zionists”. They are Haredim. Many of those guys even despise Zionism as a “man-made hubris”…and the rest for sure isn’t “zionist” either…

RichardD

55 gallon drums have stored a lot of chemical weapons. That doesn’t mean that someplace with 55 gallon drums is a chemical weapons depot.

Escapos

Because killing children with clusterbombs is much better…

I agree with the people that the strike was preemptive, and there first needs to be an investigation in the chemical attack. But clusterbombs are really awfull aswell.

Real Anti-Racist Action

I agree with you on that. Also remember that Syria has used 1/10th the cluster bombs that Israel has used over the last 40 years. Trump should launch 59 missiles into Israel to teach Jews not to be cluster bombing children as well. Or because Israel uses many many times more cluster bombs, Trump should launch 700 missiles into Israel all at once.

judazuk

and Ukraine, that also uses white phosphor against civilians

John Mason

US uses white phosphorous, cluster bombs and depleted uranium which is the deadliest of all. War crimes? Crimes against Humanity? Guess not as long as the US and coalition uses them. Cluster bombs are not used by Syria/Russia where civilians are located.

Escapos

U dont have to argue with me about that, US, Ukraine etc are indeed very hypocritical. So i dont defend any side using them. But this article is just wrong, its very defensive and acting like clusterbombs are any better then chemical weapons. They are both some of the most cruel weapons the planet has. And u know that Russia and Syria did use clusterammo in Aleppo were both civilians and terrorists were.

Catfish

You should not be associating israel and Judaism. The “jewish state” goes directly against what God has commanded of the Jews. Nkusa.org and truetorahjews.org among many others are willing and far more qualified than myself to explain that fact. From what I understand only the “ultra orthodox”, in what is commonly referred to as israel, even follow the only book considered holy in judaism which is the Torah. They are the main faction that refuse to join the “idf” to help enable the occupation and oppression of Palestinian lands and people. By associating Judaism with the political zionist experiment you (hopefully inadvertently) help zionism to keep their favorite scapegoats. The Jews I no personally don’t deserve that burden any more than faithful muslims deserve the burden of the ignorant associating them with daesh.

MeMadMax

I’m pretty sure that dead people don’t care what killed them…

Also, every government in the world is guilty for killing its own people and its going on all over the world RIGHT NOW…

Why is syria so special?

John Brown

It doesn’t take a military analyst to grasp that the American attack on a remote Syrian airfield contradicts every possible military rationale. If America really believed that Assad possessed a WMD stockpile and kept it in al-Shayrat airbase, launching a missile attack that could lead to a release of lethal agents into the air would be the last thing it would do. If America was determined to ‘neutralise’ Assad’s alleged ‘WMD ability’ it would deploy special forces or diplomacy. No one defuses WMD with explosives, bombs or cruise missiles. It is simply unheard of. America targeted al-Shayrat because it knew with certainty that there were no WMD in that location. It was a firework show. It had no military objective. The first concern that comes to mind is why is it necessary for a no body like me to deliver the truth every military expert understands very well? Can’t the New York Times or the Guardian reach the same obvious conclusion? It’s obvious enough that if Assad didn’t use WMD when he was losing the war, it would make no sense for him to use it now when a victory is within reach. So why did the White House launch a cruise missile blitz on a non-existent target? We know who are the first to benefit from the current escalation. The Jewish State that gambled on regime change in Syria, consistent with the sinister Yinon Plan,

Hrky75

The whole American political scene is bat shit crazy. Instead of dealing with real political issues they invent “Russian hacks”, “Iraqi WMDs”, Trump wiretapping… And the media, people that in the old days would tear the lies to pieces are just overpaid models reading from prompters and not asking the questions. Or to put it simply – America is autistic – living in it’s imaginary world, fighting it’s imaginary battles against imagined enemy – and somehow not managing to win…

RichardD

I agree completely, and the lying Jew media, Jew banking and Jew politics are up to their eyeballs in driving the insanity. These people are enemies of the state. What got Trump elected and what he’s doing with this Syria strike are diametrically opposed. And just show that he’s drowning in the swamp rather than draining it.

Adrian Snare

Only the mentally sick will believe this massive hate !

RichardD

It’s called truth, Ziotrolls hate it because it exposes all of their crimes.

Adrian Snare

Your hatred of Israel and the Jew are so obvious … why ? And you speak of ”truth” , As I see it , its only your opinion !

RichardD

Look at what Israel and the Jews have done to Palestine and the middle east, it’s a complete disaster. There’s a saying that people don’t hate Jews for their race or religion, they hate them for the evil that they do over and over and over again. You’re evading and ignoring the facts that I’ve provided. They speak for themselves.

Adrian Snare

You ,Trump, the deplorable are the ”complete disaster” . Plain to see ? Only your sick opinions .. And , I am most suspicious of ”facts” from conservatives ..

RichardD

You can’t deal with the facts so you spew idiocy. That’s about what I expected.

Adrian Snare

………and , as expected from a conservative hate site …

RichardD

Truth is truth, and facts are facts, if you don’t like it that’s your problem. Liars normally don’t, because it makes them look like the idiots that they are, as you’ve displayed for all to see.

Michael Malone

Oh dear!

Carolyn McK

You are obviously very ignorant of the history of the Jews and Israel. Write about something you have better info on.

RichardD

Really? You are untruthful, a Ziotroll standard trait. Israel is over 95% foreign Jews who have little or no Hebrew blood in their veins. The Palestinians by far are our planet’s direct genetic decedents of the non Jewish and Jewish tribes from the land between the sea and the river. The Israelis are liars, murderers and thieves. The land belongs to the Palestinians.

Michael Malone

You’re obviously not well educated on history of Jew and Israel. Also you’re sorely misinformed about how we treated the Palestinians. Please do your research before you comment.

RichardD

You have no argument and can’t disprove what I’ve written, so you lie, typical ziotroll stupidity.

The Zionist definition of Antisemitism:

Telling the truth about Israel’s crimes against humanity.

Just keep repeating Resolution 2334 Israel lost 14-0.

Michael Malone

Oh dear God, have mercy on me. Here comes another ignorant like RichardD. I do not need to prove. You just won’t accept. Have a wonderful day sir.

RichardD

I’ve stated facts, if you want to evade them and make false accusations that’s your problem. It just shows that you don’t want to deal with reality and instead want to live in your world of Zio-lies with the rest of the Israeli nut cases. Which is why Israel constantly loses at the UN and elsewhere. Because you people are criminals and a big problem.

Carolyn McK

I agree with Adrian.

Adrian Snare

Thank you for the support.

FreddyB

I agree with Richard as he does have the facts on his side. Although it’s more a Zionist movement but it amounts to the same thing. And sadly it will continue as people have been programmed to side with the poor Jews even after they finished rounding up the Palestinian people into the huge concentration camps and then murder them in droves, destroy their farms and villages deny water and food and materials to rebuild. And should anyone even question anything they do they scream anti-semantic or holocaust as if that excuses their behavior.

For most of us this has nothing to do with going after the Jews but trying to stop a group of people from trying to utterly destroy another group. Look up the history of this Jesus hating group of people before spewing nonsense or better yet go to Gaza and I promise you will be appalled at what you see.

Catfish

Media manipulation, banking system ignorance by the public, and a political system that is reminiscent of wcw wrestling on its surface are all most definitely some things need to be done about to put an end to rule by con artists and bad actors. The part I would tend to disagree with though is the groups who direct these things being real jews. Judaism is a religion although some treat is as an ethnicity instead. An ethnicity it is in fact not though. The groups and ” old money” families and their lackeys who run the things you’ve mentioned don’t adhere to the Torah which is the only book considered holy in judaism.. Nkusa.org, truetorahjews.org, among many other groups point out how these groups don’t adhere to the Torah which is part of what led me to it. If they don’t then I don’t see them as jews no matter what delusions they have or claims made by them. At one point I had a similar impression as you seem to but investigated further and found some of the above mentioned type of groups who pointed out some things which also seems to correlates to Christian teaching which I’m more familiar with.

RichardD

Jesus called them the Synagogue of Satan. I think that he knew what he was talking about. Sure, there are good Jews, and there are evil ones who form a cabal to implement their Jew world order. That’s where the problem is. Genetically the Palestinians are the descendants of the original Hebrew tribes. And almost all of them reject Judaism. The Israelis are almost entirely foreign Jews with no or very little Hebrew blood in their veins.

Catfish

People who genetically descended from the original tribes are mainly white and black Ethiopians , (i think) Sephardic Jews Those within the various organized criminal factions who claim to be jewish rarely if ever are or they wouldn’t be involved with them except for undercover ops and trying to explain to those who will listen how the so called jewish state of israel is antithetical to the Torah That’s the only book considered holy in judaism for anyone reading who is not aware. My point is that by mistakenly claiming these people are somehow jewish benefits the political zionism by perpetuating the myth of the “ethnic” jew. Anyone who thinks the religion of Judaism is somehow also an ethnicity please enlighten me as to how european,arabic, and Ethiopian jews are the same ethnicity? Lumping faithful Jews in with these degenerates and frauds claiming to be jewish is, to me, disrespectful to Judaism and real Jews. It also gives those making fraudulent claims further opportunity to hide behind those who keep the Jewish faith and misdirect people who are unfamiliar with the issues in question.. Nkusa.org and truetorahjews.org among many other groups can help to understand the Torah and distinguish between the faithful Jews and the false.

I hope this does help to spread awareness and lessen the amount of people who condemn people because of faith. Especially the three Abrahamic faiths.

RichardD

The research and studies that I’ve looked at show that the Palestinians are the primary descendants of the area’s non Jewish and Jewish tribes. The Israelis are over 95% descended from foreign Jews who immigrated to Israel from outside Palestine, and that most of them have little or no bloodlines from the area’s original non Jewish and Jewish tribes.

Catfish

I remember reading about dna testing b by a resident of there claiming to be israeli

RichardD

Zionism is a political movement that has corrupted and been extremely destructive to Judaism.

Pave Way IV

Someone translated another clear picture of the containers marked in Cyrillic: “AS 2.5 RT Frag aerial bomb – submunition (combat element) single cassette bomb” referring to those for the RBK-500 cluster bomb.

The old-style RBK-500-AO-2.5RT had a complicated pressure altitude fuze under the nose cone. Newer fuzing is a simple, integrated unit and does not require the nose cone, which would explain the discarded ones. https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/5c8bb340fea119b231cf871c235da9dc480bb348235613f698d2f9f7a7c85d3c.jpg

MeMadMax

The container seals are different too. In the picture showing the men in contamination suits looking at a container for a chemical weapon. You can see that the top is Welded Shut.

In the other picture showing what is supposed to be the cluster bomb containers, you can clearly see bulges. These bulges “mate” with the female end of consecutive containers within the delivery device in order to aid stability while in flight(keeps the containers rigidly held together)

Dove

GREAT JOB! Thank you!

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