Mystery of organization suspected of staging chemical attack in Syria
The White Helmets are a well-known Syrian civil defense group that is always the first to arrive at the scene after airstrikes to search and rescue victims. Although praised by the West, the organization has been accused by Russia and Syria of working against the Damascus government.
The West describes them as people who sacrificed their lives for humanitarian work in Syria.,Russia and Syria believe that this organization staged the chemical attack in Douma on April 7, leading to the missile attack by the US, France and UK on April 14.
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| The White Helmets are hailed as heroes by the Western press. Photo: Reuters |
The White Helmets were founded in 2013 by James Le Mesurier, a former British military intelligence officer. They are described as an unarmed, neutral group of more than 3,000 volunteers, including about 100 women. They operate in areas controlled by the Syrian opposition, with a coordination office in Gaziantep, on the Turkish-Syrian border.
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| Photo: Reuters |
As of 2015, White Helmets had an annual budget of $30 million, much of it funded by donations and fundraising. Full-time White Helmets volunteers receive $150 a month.
The White Helmets claim to have saved the greatest number of people in the shortest possible time, minimizing human casualties and property damage. The organization claims to have saved tens of thousands of lives since the Syrian civil war began in 2011.
As of 2016, the White Helmets had lost 159 members. That same year, the group was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The White Helmets are portrayed by the Western press as heroes, always the first to arrive at the scene after airstrikes in Syria to carry out humanitarian activities. The organization has appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, received the Right Livelihood Award in 2016 and many other awards for its charitable and humanitarian activities.
Netflix also made a special documentary about the White Helmets.
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| Photo: Reuters |
On the contrary, Russian and Syrian media claim that the White Helmets are actually an organization specializing in fabricating anti-Syrian stories, with the mission of falsifying information, lying and fabricating to serve the interests of countries hostile to Damascus.
According to the Syrian news agency SANA, James Le Mesurier's purpose in founding the White Helmets was to use the organization as a propaganda tool to gain international sympathy for the fake humanitarian disasters, and at the same time use that as an excuse to attack Syria.
Russian newspaper Sputnik quoted Hassan Sivry, a Turkish expert on the Middle East, accusing the White Helmets of being a "front" used by the West to finance armed groups that are actively operating, especially in northern Syria.
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Recently, on April 16, Russian special envoy to the OPCW Alexander Shulgin issued a statement accusing the White Helmets of using US funds to stage a chemical weapons attack in Douma.
Moscow confirmed that it had sent experts to the scene but found no traces of chemical weapons use, no bodies or anyone in need of treatment. This is in stark contrast to the content of videos, images and information released by the White Helmets showing dozens of people dead and hundreds injured by nerve agents in Douma./.
