US Asks UN to Halt Syrian War for a Month

State Dept Claims Request Related to Chemical Weapons Accusations

One day after US warplanes killed over 100 pro-government forces in Syria, the US State Department is petitioning the UN to require a month-long halt to all fighting in Syria.

They are not relating this to their own attack, which US officials claim to be as surprised about as anybody, but rather say that allegations of chemical weapons attacks having recently been publicized necessitates a pause of the war.

With the US shifting its focus away from fighting ISIS and toward focusing on regime change in Syria, the pause may well be the US’ way of trying to get a little time to get the estimated 2,000 troops in the country on the right page about who they’re at war with now.

Syria seems to be smelling a rat, too, saying they believe the US “arranged” the whole situation where they suddenly claimed a casualty-free attack by Syrian forces, and then justified their own, deadly attack as “self-defense.”

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.