Turkey is satisfied with the strikes launched by the United States, the United Kingdom and France against Syria as a "response to the alleged chemical attack" in the Syrian city of Douma, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Saturday.
The United States, the United Kingdom and France carried out strikes on Syria earlier in the day.
“We commend the operation of the United States, United Kingdom and France carried out in Syria in response to a chemical attack in Douma, where many civilians were killed. There is a serious suspicion that this attack was committed by the Syrian regime. The use of weapons of mass destruction, including chemical weapons, is a crime against humanity. The international community has no doubt that the Syrian regime uses chemical weapons," the ministry’s statement read.
However, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis disclosed that the U.S. had not yet confirmed that the alleged Syrian chemical weapons attack, on April 7 in the Damascus suburb of Douma, included the use of sarin gas. He said at least one chemical was used - chlorine, which also has legitimate industrial uses and had not previously triggered a U.S. military response.
The US conclusion on the alleged chemical attack in Syria was based on media sources and ‘reliable information’, the White House said in a statement after US, Great Britain and France launched a strike on targets in Syria.
