Rai Al-Youm:

US Merely Dares to Attack Arab States Not N. Korea

Rasa - A leading Arab newspaper referred to the US "empty" threats against North Korea for its missile tests, and said Washington only dares to attack the weak Arab and Islamic states and would never dare to do a similar thing to North Korea because it is afraid of its reaction.

News ID: 428953

Date: 16 April 2017 - 23:31

RNA - Al-Rai al-Youm newspaper pointed to the US missile strikes against Syria's al-Shayrat airbase in Homs province earlier this month and drop of a GBU-43/B MOAB - the largest non-nuclear weapon in its arsenal - on Afghanistan last Thursday, and said the North Korean officials are just joking about the "empty threatening message they receive from the US.

The Koreans never take Washington's threat seriously because they enjoy the needed missile and atomic capability to strike back and they are always ready to do so, the paper said, adding that Pyongyang knows that the US never dares to take the military option.

The Arab daily voiced regret that the US just dares to attack the weak Arab and Islamic countries because it rests assured that it would never be given a response for its aggressions.

"But North Korea is not an Arab or Muslim country and it will certainly respond the US aggression despite its high costs," it continued, and said hence, the US never attacks them.

On April 7, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Syrian military airfield in Shayrat near the city of Homs.

Donald Trump said the attack was a response to the alleged chemical weapon use in Syria's Idlib on April 4, which Washington blames on the Syrian government.

Syrian opposition had claimed forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad had used a chemical gas on people in the Northwestern province, killing nearly 80 and injuring 200. Syrian president argued his government has no chemical weapons after agreeing to have them destroyed in 2013. He also ruled out having used chemicals against own people.

Also, Friday saw global audiences awaking to news the US military had dropped a GBU-43/B MOAB against what it called the ISIL position in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The event marked the use of the weapon on the battlefield for the first time in history.

The bomb is nicknamed the Mother of All Bombs for its 11-tonne blast yield and it is worth $16 million.

The former president of Afghanistan called on his countrymen to "stop the USA" after what he said was Washington using Nangarhar province as a testing ground for the biggest non-nuclear weapon in the US arsenal.

"I vehemently and in strongest words condemn the dropping of the latest weapon, the largest non-nuclear bomb, on Afghanistan by US military," tweeted Hamid Karzai. "This is not the war on terror but the inhuman and most brutal misuse of our country as testing ground for new and dangerous weapons."

"It is upon us, Afghans, to stop the USA," he added.

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