US missile strike in Syria: What we know so far about target, victims & reactions
RT.com
7 Apr, 2017
The US launched a missile strike on a Syrian airbase, killing at least six people, including civilians, and wounding several others. Reactions to the operation continue to roll in, with Russia condemning it while EU countries and others express support.
US President Donald Trump ordered the military strike on an airfield in Shayrat, near Homs, which resulted in a Friday pre-dawn attack in which 59 Tomahawk missiles were deployed.
Washington claimed the strike was a response to an earlier alleged chemical attack in Syria’s Idlib, for which the US blamed the Syrian government.
Six MiG-23 fighter jets were destroyed in the operation, along with a material storage depot, a training facility, a canteen and a radar station, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defense (MoD).
However, the airfield’s runway remained intact, according to the MoD, which described the operation’s efficiency as “quite poor.”
Syrian officials have so far confirmed that six people were killed and several others wounded in the operation.
However, the governor of Homs told RT that at least five people had been killed, three of whom were Syrian soldiers. He also stated that at least seven people had been wounded.
Meanwhile, Syria’s SANA news agency has reported nine civilian deaths, including four children.
Global reaction
The office of Syrian President Bashar Assad called the US strike “reckless,” “irresponsible” and “shortsighted,” claiming the motives for the attack weren’t based on true facts.
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