07/04/2017 World News Today


07/04/2017

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This is BBC World News Today Reporting from Washington,

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President Trump's rhetoric in action - Russia condemns US air strikes

:00:08.:00:17.

in Syria and promises to strengthen the country's air defence systems.

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A barrage of tomahawk missiles hits Syria's second largest airbase -

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from where the chemical weapons attack's believed

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Tonight, I call on all civilized nations join us in seeking

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to end the slaughter and bloodshed in Syria.

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The dramatic reversal of his previous policy

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on Syria eclipses the visit of China's President Xi -

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At least three people are killed and many injured as a lorry ploughs

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into showers in the Swedish capital Stockholm.

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I could see bodies lying in the street and I could see the police

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covering a body with a orange blanket.

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The first American military strike against President Assad's regime -

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With much of the west lining up behind Washington -

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and President Trump's apparent restoration of the US

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being the world's policeman - Russia has condemned the attack

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as an "act of aggression against a sovereign nation".

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President Trump authorised the missile strike on the Shayrat

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air base, from where it's believed this week's deadly

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chemical weapons attack in northern Syria was launched.

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Nine civilians, including four children, and seven soldiers

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Our north America editor Jon Sopel reports on the strike and what it

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says about a dramatic change in the Trump administration's

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It was after dark on the east coast of America and before the sun had

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risen in the Middle East when the commander in

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From two US war ships, a volley of cruise missiles

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were fired at a military air base, that has been used, say

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the Americans, to launch the chemical weapons attack on Idlib.

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It is in the vital security interest of the

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United States to prevent and to deter the spread and use of deadly

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There can be no dispute that Syria used banned

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chemical weapons, violated its obligations under the chemical

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weapons convention and ignored the urging

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The grotesque after-effects of the attack, the United States believe

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a nerve agent was used, horrified the world and

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A line had been crossed and unlike his

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Assad choked the lives of men, women and children.

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It was a slow and brutal death for so many.

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Even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this

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No child of God should ever suffer such horror.

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What is astonishing is the speed with which this administration has

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changed its policy to Syria and decided to act.

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At the start of week, President Trump saw Bashar

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al-Assad as a useful ally against Islamic State.

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But the chemical weapons attack changed everything and

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within two days, targets had been identified and struck.

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Here is what we know about the attack.

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59 Tomahawk missiles were issued from the eastern Med.

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It is deep in government-held territory.

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Targets included, aircraft, fuel depots and radar.

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Because Russian forces are also at the base, Russia

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was informed of the attack in advance.

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The aftermath shows damage at the base, but hardly devastation.

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The Pentagon said it didn't target the runways,

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the aim was to destroy the infrastructure that allows the base

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to function and the attack has brought the president support.

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The president was authorised to conduct

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the strike, he is not asking for a declaration of war,

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he was dealing with circumstances and as

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the commander in chief not only did he have the right,

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Despite the enthusiasm we can see, to quote Churchill, it is

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the end of the beginning not the beginning of the end.

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Donald Trump who didn't want to get embroiled in

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foreign conflict has just ordered US forces

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address last night he didn't sound like an isolationist.

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Good night and God bless America and the entire world.

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The president, not yet 100 days in, has travelled a

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Our Correspondent, Barbara Plett Usher is in Florida

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where President Trump is meeting the Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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Dramatic reversal of strategy. Also potentially, Barbara, in message

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that won't be lost on his guest for the past few days. Now, I suppose

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not in the sense that President Trump are strong that he is ready

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and willing to use military force when he feels he needs to and there

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is a discussion about a potential conflict with the Chinese offered

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effective North Korea. President Trump has sounded at times quite

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bellicose about North Korea suggesting even obliquely that they

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might be willing to oblige a creative strike. I would be careful

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about comparisons. It had a particular objective about deserving

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observing chemical weapons. North Korea would be a vastly different

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situation. The risks are in love -- are a lot higher. The risks of war

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are quite high. It would be quite destructive. The message is that Mr

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Trump is prepared to be militarily when he feels it's necessary and

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possible. Drawing comparisons between different conflict zones is

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not the correct way to see it. The United States has said it

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could take further military action against the Syrian government

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after firing missiles at a Syrian airbase, from which Washington

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believes a chemical weapons Our correspondent Laura Trevelyan's

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on Capitol Hill, where Senators have The senators have just about

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everything when they receive more detail on the strike last night.

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Possible next steps. I've only spoken to one senator that was

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completely opposed to what happened. He is a Republican from Kentucky's

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Angie says that the president should always get authorisation from

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Congress before lodging in military strike. I have been taking the

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temperature on both sides of the aisle. I asked for reaction to last

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night 's right. What we know happened here was for the second

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time and probably multiple other times. Is that basically killed

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thousands of people, little children, Jordan to death on glass.

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Defence who responded in this way and simply went after the field from

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from which these chemicals were lodged was the right thing to do.

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She made the point that a number of lawmakers have been making the same

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point that they must be consulted if the west escalate the conflict. I've

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also spoken to any Republican senator who was very critical last

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week when it seemed that members of the Trump administration were

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suggesting that it was a political reality that President Assad would

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stay in office and he said to me that he is worried about the wider

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Middle East strategy from the White House. My concern is that the banner

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demonstration and the first months of the club administration, there

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hasn't been a clear strategy from either Eddie Obama or from

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administration. We need to address some of the specific issues, whether

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it is Aleppo, the chemical attacks or whether it is the migration flows

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that have affected your work, Turkey and Jordan and other allies. --

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affected Europe. It has been hailed as a critical first step and asking

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what the administration will do next. The big question is what is

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the next strategy? Russia, which supports

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President Assad, has reacted angrily -

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accusing the United States There would be negative

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consequences, it said, the US strike, according

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to Prime Minister Medvedev, "on the verge of engaging

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in military encounters with Russia". Moscow also accused President Trump

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of damaging the fight against terrorism and so-called

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Islamic State group in Syria. Our Moscow Correspondent,

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Steve Rosenberg, has this report Until recently, the Russian

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media have been singing Today, state TV accused him

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of an unprovoked show of force with the missile strike he ordered

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on a civilian air base. Moscow said it was a gross,

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groundless violation It's definitely an aggressive act

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against international law, against a sovereign country,

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and without any true evidence of the Assad regime

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using chemical weapons. It is Russian military

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power that's been keeping Russia's air force and navy

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is helping Syria's leader turn the tide of the country's civil war

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and boosting Moscow's Today, the Kremlin accused

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Washington of inventing a pretext Those American Tomahawks may have

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been targeting the Syrian military, but judging by what the Kremlin has

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been saying, it's US-Russia relations that will take

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a real battering out as a result The Russians had been hoping

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that with Donald Trump in the White House relations

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with America would improve. So far, there's been

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no sign of that. Today, Moscow suspended a deal

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designed to prevent incidents between US and Russian

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warplanes over Syria. Which means that we have two big

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military powers in the area operating without any contact

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and any coordination, The Russians are hoping that this US

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strike was a one-off, but tonight, they are strengthening air defence

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systems across Syria, just in case. Until this week's chemical

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attack in northern Syria, President Trump had appeared set

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against any intervention against Our Middle East Editor,

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Jeremy Bowen, reports now on the implications of the US strike

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for the six-year Syrian war. The war crime that killed so many

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in a village pushed the Americans The long-term impact

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on the war itself depends More chemical attacks would provoke

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a tougher American response. But the US might accept a return

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to conventional killing. The Syrian regime denies it has ever

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used chemical weapons. I think President Trump himself

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knows that Syria did not use any chemical weapons,

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it does not have any chemical weapons, as it has given

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all its stock pile too the international organisation

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responsible for that. The Americans say they have clear

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that the proof that the Syrian forces carried out war crimes,

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they're certain of that, that is why they carried

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out this raid. 14 years after the invasion of Iraq,

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we see Iraq has been destroyed. Syria is the second secular state

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after Iraq that is being targeted by the west,

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simply because it is secular and it has an army and it is against

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the Israeli occupation of Palestine. In one of the Damascus suburbs,

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people stopped believing the regime years ago and want more military

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action from the Americans. TRANSLATION: We hope that any

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foreign intervention will be an intervention to bring an end

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to the suffering of the Syrian TRANSLATION: The solution

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is for the Assad regime The end of massacres,

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the end of targeting of civilians. A reason why the war is so hard

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to stop is that so many With different interests

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and objectives. President Assad's main allies

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are Russia and Iran. These days the rebels still fighting

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the regime are mainly Some approved by the west and some

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are jihadists. There is also the war

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against so-called Islamic State. Think of it all as

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layers of conflict. And sometimes they intersect

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and now Donald Trump has The events at Khan Sheikhoun

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and the US response will force the Syrian regime to take

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American threats more seriously, Force equals influence in Syria

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and more foreign intervention I'm joined now by former

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State Department official Vali Nasr, who is now dean

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of the Johns Hopkins School What does this tell us about

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President Trump's international doctrine? Driven on a motion? It's

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driven on domestic consideration. He had no option to act on the red line

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that President Obama didn't because otherwise he would be accused of

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being no different than President Obama. He has found that his America

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first strategy does not work and he is acting as the policeman of the

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world and gone back to the of the United states upholding

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international law. This was a one-off strike. What happens if

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another chemical attack or another atrocity? He has said -- set the

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precedent. He is also already crossed the line in which he now

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owns this conflict more than he did before. His allies in the Middle

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East, it be expected that the US will set order in Syria. The problem

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with President Trump is that he's never said what is interested in

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Syria. The consequences of this in terms of blowback potentially, the

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relations with Russia, they are now dead, I do? They are not where they

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were. The two may find a way to get back to the middle but the Russians

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are clearly not happy with any American action in serve that would

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chose injury week or forced the Russians to reassert their imperial

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grandeur. This is viewed as a challenge and they would have to

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react. He might have a cycle that reflect itself in Ukraine and

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elsewhere as well. -- you might have a cycle. This is a man who many

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pupils are at an amateur. Now he looks like a world leader. He is

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eclipsing some domestic problems. We always knew he was decisive. He was

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decidedly non-in favour of intervention.

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This has forced in this direction. Asset created a situation in which

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Trump could not say no to the general is already traditional

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foreign policy people. We should not offer a bridge into this. Trump was

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not driven by the facts or conflict by what it would mean domestic

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league defeated the same as what President Obama did. Russia, Iran

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are completely against him and the coalition behind. Russia and Iran

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are supporters of assets. Even if they think that President Assad

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roentgen four and jeopardise their position, they still cannot publicly

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criticise the other or condone any American punishment of Assad.

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Privately, I suspect they are pretty furious with Assad.

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You can get much more on the US attack on Syria

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on the BBC News website, but now it's back to

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London where Kasia has the rest of the day's news.

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One other story dominating the news today -

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a lorry has been driven into a crowd of pedestrians in Stockholm,

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killing at least three people and injuring many others.

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The Swedish Prime Minister said everything suggested

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The incident happened outside a department store on a busy

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pedestrian shopping street at around two o'clock local time.

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The driver of the truck is still at large and police

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Our security correspondent, Frank Gardner, has the latest.

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A moment of panic in a peaceful city.

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This was Stockholm this afternoon, as people fled in terror

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from a truck which appeared to drive deliberately into crowds of shoppers

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TRANSLATION: I saw exactly where the lorry went in, just there.

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There wasn't much of a reaction, then the police arrived.

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The police just said, you have to run.

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Initial reports said two people were killed,

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then at least three, and several injured.

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Stockholm has seen nothing like this for years.

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The truck crashed into a department store and caught fire.

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The brewery company that owned it said a man hijacked it

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You could actually see bodies lying on the street and I could see

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the police covering the body with an orange blanket.

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There were lots of police around, lots of people standing around

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There was a lady laying with a severed foot,

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there was blood everywhere, there were bodies on

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People standing by their loved ones, but also people running away.

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The Swedish authorities say they had no warning of this attack.

:21:43.:21:45.

The question now is, who did it and why?

:21:46.:21:47.

The police have issued these pictures of a man

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they want to question, while the Prime Minister says Sweden

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TRANSLATION: The government is informed of the situation

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We support all the authorities that are working on this,

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and we are asking the public to be alert and listen to police advice.

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At least two people are dead and our thoughts are with their families.

:22:09.:22:14.

Whoever was behind today's attack, this has been a huge shock,

:22:15.:22:17.

not just for Sweden, but for all of Scandinavia.

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Security is now being tightened in neighbouring Norway and Finland.

:22:23.:22:25.

Already, some are saying this has been a wake-up call.

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Our correspondent, Maddy Savage, is live at the scene of the attack

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He can speak to the former Prime Minister of Sweden. Sweden is in

:22:42.:22:48.

shock. Do you have any indication as to who is behind this? No, nothing.

:22:49.:22:55.

The police are searching for that. There are right behind me. Along the

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pedestrian street, where the man was driving before he crashed into the

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department store. I think we will just have to wait for the police to

:23:09.:23:13.

do their work and eventually find out who was responsible. We.... The

:23:14.:23:19.

cover and Swedish minister has said that everything poised to visiting

:23:20.:23:27.

an act of terrorism. Do you agree? Yes, certainly. We saw this pattern

:23:28.:23:36.

in Berlin and London. A single man. Hijacking a lorry and driving into

:23:37.:23:40.

pedestrians with a clear intention of killing as many as possible. That

:23:41.:23:47.

is what we call terrorism. Is Sweden prepare for some thing like this? We

:23:48.:23:52.

live in the world where we live but no one has been killed by terrorists

:23:53.:23:59.

in this city since 1975. That was the German terrorist blowing up the

:24:00.:24:05.

embassy. We had a man who attempted to do suicide attack in virtually

:24:06.:24:13.

the same area in December, 2010. He ended up just blowing up himself.

:24:14.:24:18.

Apart from that, the other chapters. Swedish people know the world in

:24:19.:24:26.

which we live because of the media. Because of these particular types of

:24:27.:24:30.

attacks, it is difficult to guard yourself. Our security correspondent

:24:31.:24:36.

has been to Sweden and says there is not the same sense of security you

:24:37.:24:41.

have in the centre of London, not as many crash barriers and not as much

:24:42.:24:45.

CCTV. You think that'll after these events? London is unique with all of

:24:46.:24:58.

the CCTV, because of the IRA. Whether that will change, I don't

:24:59.:25:02.

know. There are privacy issues on board with that as well. Clearly,

:25:03.:25:07.

they will have to be a review of whether anything further can be

:25:08.:25:12.

done. Pedestrians are ever cars everywhere, the sorts of things are

:25:13.:25:17.

very, very difficult to have 100% guarantee against. Slowly the public

:25:18.:25:23.

transport is becoming operational again. The subway is cleared and

:25:24.:25:27.

beginning to open. Life is beginning to return to normal. Yes, the

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reaction in the street is immediately after attack and has

:25:35.:25:39.

been amazingly calm. There has been an amount of time while. When you

:25:40.:25:46.

close down the subway system and worldly system, this prevents

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anybody from running away primarily. Apologies recording of blood were

:25:52.:25:57.

out of time. -- apologies for cutting you off but we are running

:25:58.:26:03.

out of time. That's all from the problem.

:26:04.:26:05.

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