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World Donald Trump Syria US politics

Syrian missile attack: a statement of willingness to use force

But the military options to force Assad out of power remain at least as unpalatable as they were in 2013

By Justin Bronk  
April 7, 2017

A satellite photo of the Shayrat Airfield in Syria, released by the Pentagon ©USA TODAY Network/SIPA USA/PA Images

Last night’s US Navy cruise missile bombardment of the Syrian Air Force’s Shayrat airfield near the western city of Homs was, on the face of it, an immediate retaliatory strike against the squadron responsible for dropping chemical weapons—including the nerve agent Sarin—on civilians at Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province. Fifty-nine BGM-109 Tomahawk Land Attack Cruise Missiles (TLAMs) were fired from two US Navy warships in the Eastern Mediterranean and are…

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Justin Bronk

Justin Bronk is Research Fellow for Airpower and Military Technology, RUSI

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