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WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says he long resisted calls for military action in Syria but that the situation changed after Syria's government gassed its own citizens.
Obama on Tuesday used a televised address to the nation to explain his thinking on the ongoing fighting in Syria. He said the use of chemical weapons on Aug. 21 requires the United States to respond with a military strike to deter future use of such weapons.
Obama said no one disputes that chemical weapons were used and said thousands of Syrians have died from them. He said the images and videos of men, women and children are sickening and demand a response.
Obama said, quoting, "We cannot resolve someone else's civil war through force" but said the United States could protect Syrian children.
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