A man breathes through an oxygen mask as another one receives treatments, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib. Ammar Abdullah / Reuters
A man breathes through an oxygen mask as another one receives treatments, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib. Ammar Abdullah / Reuters
A man breathes through an oxygen mask as another one receives treatments, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib. Ammar Abdullah / Reuters
A man breathes through an oxygen mask as another one receives treatments, after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib. Ammar Abdulla

Syria year in review: remembering the Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack


Kareem Shaheen
  • English
  • Arabic

The freshly dug red earth bore testament to the tragedy that befell the Al Yousef family in Khan Sheikhoun. Some 20 members had perished in the most dramatic attack of the Syrian war in 2017, a sarin gas assault that left dozens dead in this now battle-scarred town.

It was the deadliest chemical attack in Syria since the 2013 Ghouta massacre that left more than 1,000 dead and nearly led to an American intervention in the war. Instead, an agreement was brokered between Washington and Moscow that saw the supposed dismantling of the Syrian government's chemical weapons arsenal.

But an empowered regime with military momentum on its side, steadfast support from Russia and Iran, and a newly-elected American president whose top officials hinted that the Syrian leader's departure was no longer a priority, apparently felt secure enough to deploy sarin once again after months of smaller-scale chlorine attacks.

The conclusions drawn by the impartial Joint Investigative Mechanism of the UN, the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, various human rights groups and the intelligence assessments of key western powers have all concluded that sarin was used in the attack on April 4 in Khan Sheikhoun, and that the Assad regime was responsible.

When I visited the town in Idlib province two days later, I wanted to investigate the claim by Moscow that the sarin had leaked out from a rebel chemical weapons depot that was bombed. At the site of the attack, a fragment of the missile that had carried the sarin was still lodged in the ground, surrounded by small holes on the road. There was no damage to buildings nearby, just to the wall next to where the missile landed. Behind it was a dead goat, apparently suffocated by the gas.

_______________

Read more:

Staffan de Mistura urges United Nations to kick start Syrian reform process 

White Helmets attacked by Russian-aligned online campaign

________________

I visited a hospital and civil defence centre that had treated the victims, and were bombed in turn hours after the chemical strike. I had seen many videos of destroyed hospitals in Syria, but seeing the rubble, damaged equipment and dust-coated patient beds for myself was another thing entirely.

There was rubble everywhere in Idlib. The drive through the province passed endless vibrant greenery punctuated by scarred towns with bombed buildings, and the occasional destroyed tank. A plane flew over our vehicle as we approached the town of Ariha, and it was surreal to look up and not know if it was coming for you or for someone else.

But the most memorable thing that day was the grief of Abdul Hamid Al Yousef after he'd buried his wife and two children, along with cousins, nieces and nephews. They suffocated in the basement of their home, where they had sought refuge instead of fleeing the area. Mr Al Yousef had rushed out to help take the wounded to hospital, not knowing it was a chemical attack, and collapsed there from inhaling a small amount of the gas.

He alternated between tears and a faraway look as the mourners streamed in and out. In that trance, he repeated the names of his family: “Aya and Ahmed, my souls. Yasser and Ahmed, my brothers who had my back. Ammoura and Hammoudi, Shaimaa, so many others.”

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

Diriyah%20project%20at%20a%20glance
%3Cp%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%201.9km%20King%20Salman%20Boulevard%2C%20a%20Parisian%20Champs-Elysees-inspired%20avenue%2C%20is%20scheduled%20for%20completion%20in%202028%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20Royal%20Diriyah%20Opera%20House%20is%20expected%20to%20be%20completed%20in%20four%20years%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20Diriyah%E2%80%99s%20first%20of%2042%20hotels%2C%20the%20Bab%20Samhan%20hotel%2C%20will%20open%20in%20the%20first%20quarter%20of%202024%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20On%20completion%20in%202030%2C%20the%20Diriyah%20project%20is%20forecast%20to%20accommodate%20more%20than%20100%2C000%20people%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20The%20%2463.2%20billion%20Diriyah%20project%20will%20contribute%20%247.2%20billion%20to%20the%20kingdom%E2%80%99s%20GDP%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20It%20will%20create%20more%20than%20178%2C000%20jobs%20and%20aims%20to%20attract%20more%20than%2050%20million%20visits%20a%20year%0D%3Cbr%3E-%20About%202%2C000%20people%20work%20for%20the%20Diriyah%20Company%2C%20with%20more%20than%2086%20per%20cent%20being%20Saudi%20citizens%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Roundup
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Lee%20Sang-yong%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Ma%20Dong-seok%2C%20Sukku%20Son%2C%20Choi%20Gwi-hwa%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.

Panipat

Director Ashutosh Gowariker

Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment

Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman

Rating 3 /stars