The Syrian government used chemical weapons April 4 to attack its own civilians while they slept.
The result left the world stunned as gruesome pictures of dying children began to circulate the Internet. More than 80 people have died and over 100 people have reported symptoms of nerve damage.
Although the Syrian military originally denied using chemical agents, witnesses have come forward to clarify what happened.
“It was like a winter fog,” said 14-year-old Mariam Abu Khalil to the New York Times. “They inhaled gas and died.”
Khalil claims she was awake when the aircrafts dropped multiple bombs on one-story buildings. The explosion caused Khalil’s eyes to burn and she reported seeing a “yellow mushroom cloud” before losing vision.
President Trump decided to retaliate by launching a military attack on a Syrian government military base and an ISIS campground in Iraq.
I will give Trump credit where it is due. I am shocked he is actually following through on one of his many promises.
Prior to becoming president, Trump assured America he would “bomb the hell” out of ISIS and other countries. However, I have a hunch that attacking the largest terrorist organization, as well as a Syrian military base, may have severe repercussions to America’s safety.
Trump and his administration are acting rapidly with little consideration about political strategy. “Making America Great Again” does not stem from playing reckless war games with countries that claim to have nuclear weapons.
Russia, Syria’s ally, has previously boasted about using nuclear weapons against the U.S. if necessary. The weapons Russia and North Korea claim to have could easily wipe out large parts of North America. Evidently, Russian military planes were seen flying over Alaska last week.
If defeating ISIS was as easy as simply bombing a few bases, then I am sure other countries would have done that by now.
There is no excuse for what Syria’s military did to its people. The chemical attack was cruel. However, I’m not sure firing bombs at the world’s largest terrorist organization or at Syria’s military will achieve the peace America so desperately seeks.
I am scared American will be involved in another war it has no business being part of, if our leaders keep acting with haste.
– Rachael Shah is an electronic media junior