April 4, 2017: When apocalypse hit Khan Sheikhun

April 08, 2017 09:23 pm | Updated 09:36 pm IST

A Syrian child receives treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Idlib Province, on April 4, 2017.

A Syrian child receives treatment at a small hospital in the town of Maaret al-Noman following a suspected toxic gas attack in Khan Sheikhun, a nearby rebel-held town in Idlib Province, on April 4, 2017.

Bombs rained on Khan Sheikhun, killing at least 85 people, a third of them children, a monitoring group said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said most had died from the effects of the gas — officials later said it was a banned nerve agent, sarin — adding that dozens more suffered respiratory problems and other symptoms like foaming from the mouth.

U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Ross (DDG 71) fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea which U.S. Defense Department said was a part of cruise missile strike against Syria  on April 7, 2017.   Robert S. Price/Courtesy U.S. Navy/Handout via REUTERS   ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer fires a tomahawk land attack missile in Mediterranean Sea as part of a cruise missile strike against Syria on April 7, 2017.

 

Early on April 7, the U.S. responded by ring 59 cruise missiles at the airfield from where Bashar al-Assad’s regime supposedly launched the chemical attack. Russia, which has backed the Assad regime in the Syrian war, threatened the U.S. with “negative consequences”, even sending an armed warship to the east Mediterranean Sea, putting it on the path of direct confrontation with U.S. navy destroyers, according to reports.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.