A supporter of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad holds pictures of him (l.) and his father, the late president Hafez al-Assad, during a protest against possible U.S. strikes, at Youssef al-Azma square in Damascus September 9, 2013. Khaled al-Hariri/REUTERS
Assad's Commanders 'Begged To Use Chemical Weapons For Four-And-A-Half Months'... But Did Dictator Even Know They Had Been Deployed? -- Daily Mail
* Government forces reportedly pleaded for chemical weapons use for months
* Chemical weapons attack could have been launched by regime without President al-Assad's permission
* Syrian president said they were 'as prepared as could be' for military strike
Syrian government forces pleaded for the use of chemical weapons for four-and-a-half months before an attack was launched on August 21, it has been reported.
A German newspaper claims Syrian brigade and division commanders had been repeatedly denied permission to use the chemicals by President Bashar al-Assad before the attack which claimed more than 1,400 lives.
According to Bild am Sonntag, German spies obtained information which suggested military forces went ahead with the attack without receiving Presidential permission.
Read more ....
My Comment: Two things come to my mind about this report. (1) If the Germans intercepted these communications, I am sure that the U.S./U.K./France/and Israel have also intercepted these messages .... but no comment yet from any of these governments. (2) It is hard to believe that in an authoritarian country like Syria that military commanders on the ground would disobey a direct Presidential order and launch a chemical attack .... but if true .... it would then tell me that Assad has lost control of the most important element of his military.
