CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Some Syrian refugees living in Charlotte are applauding the missile strikes overnight across the Syrian capital of Damascus, but they are disappointed because they weren't strong enough.
The refugees said that if the United States wants to stop more attacks, it needs to use more muscle by launching continuous attacks that cripple Assad's military forces.
"It should be continuous. like for four or five days, strike all the military bases,” Syrian refugee Muwafak Cham said.
There were reports of loud explosions lighting up the sky just moments after President Donald Trump announced that the United States, France and the United Kingdom launched coordinated strikes in retaliation for Syria’s deadly chemical attack last weekend.
The U.S deployed 105 weapons against three distinct targets.
The Pentagon says the airstrikes will limit the regime's ability to develop and use chemical weapons in the future.
A week ago, local Syrian refugees begged Trump to take action against Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop chemical attacks similar to the one last week.
"They should attack the military bases, the airport military bases because they will keep attacking the innocent people,” Cham said.
Maher Skef and Kama Salkini, two native Syrians now living in Charlotte, say they are happy to see the U.S. take action, but called the airstrike a waste.
Skef, who grew up in America and owns a restaurant in Matthews, wants to see the U.S. do more to help the Syrian people who live in fear.
Skef called the U.S-led airstrike a waste because it leaves Assad in power.
“That's not going to end this war and he's going to get more aggressive and he's going to kill more people,” Skef said.
Kamal Salkini, who came to Charlotte as a refugee two years ago during the ongoing conflict within his home country, is concerned about his family still in Syria.
“I still have some family over there and I'm very concerned about them, but I'm not able to do a lot,” he said.
An estimated 350,000 people have been killed over the last seven years in Syria, including some of their loved ones.
One of Charlotte's largest populations of Syrian refugees resides in east Charlotte.
Some of their friends and families still haven't been able to escape, and those terrified civilians are already bracing for another attack from Assad and his allies.
"They are just feeling afraid,” Syrian refugee Nassir said. “They keep looking and waiting for the revenge for the Assad regime and Russia to hit them again."
Many of the families suffered terribly before they were able to escape from Syria, refugees have said.
Some of the cities they left behind are now no longer standing.
The refugees have been begging the U.S. government to step in and save the families who are still there, but they said they don't believe the strikes that happened overnight will change much.
The U.S., France and Britain all launched missiles into Syria. They hit research, storage and military targets tied to Assad, who is accused of using chemical weapons to gas his own citizens.
Horrific video shows children struggling to breathe after the suffocating attack that killed dozens and hurt hundreds.
The refugees in Charlotte said that a wait-and-see approach won't save Syrians from Assad's military might.
"He's been killing people, more than 500 people, without using chemical weapons, so it's not a big difference with a chemical weapon or without a chemical weapon,” Nassir said.
The United States said it won't strike Syria again unless Assad uses chemical weapons on his citizens again.
Trump blamed Russia for helping Syria, saying President Vladimir Putin has not kept his promise to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.
An international relations professor at Winthrop University told Channel 9 his first concern was about the strikes hitting Russian hardware or killing Russians and leading to a larger conflict.
“I’m worried about the word escalation,” Chris Van Aller said. “I’m a baby boomer. There were numerous times in the Cold War where we came close to a nuclear exchange. I think, from what I have heard, so far, they have done a lot of back-channel work with the Russians, so no Russian was imperiled by these strikes, so that’s a big relief.”
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Trump was clear that he does not intend on an indefinite military presence in Syria. White House officials said there are no additional plans to strike, and that this was a one-time shot.
“The purpose of our actions tonight is a strong deterrent against production -- spread and use against chemical weapons,” Trump said. “Establishing this deterrent is a vital national security interest of the United States.”
The horrific chemical attack that happened on April 7 killed at least 40 people.
Trump said the mass murder of innocent men, women and children needs to stop.
The president also called Syria and Russia, a Syrian ally, most responsible for supporting, equipping and financing the Syrian president.
The refugees said they suffered severely during the Syrian Civil War.
They also said they left behind a lot of family members they are still worried about.
"We want Mr. President Trump to end this and solve it,” Cham said.
Heart-wrenching images from Syria showed children screaming in pain and fear while rescuers rushed to wash suffocating substances off their bodies.
More than 40 people were killed and more than 500 were hurt in the attack near Damascus.
"We saved our lives, but still we are worrying about our people in Syria," said Cham.
Last week when Channel 9 spoke with Cham, he said he agonizes over the suffering that was still playing out.
"Innocent children, innocent kids. People ... are killed while they are sleeping,” Cham said.
Now he's asking whether his new neighbors in the United States care about those helpless families, too.
"If a dog was killed in here, anyone will do something, but why innocent people are killed over there and there is no human rights, no United Nations, no one at all?" Cham said.
Cham told Channel 9 he's lost count of all the friends and family members who have died in the brutal war.
The latest bombing is now the eighth suspected chemical attack since Trump took office. Cham said he hopes the rest of the world won't lose track of all the killing, too.
"We can't do anything. We just feel so sad, our hearts are broken," he said.
In April 2017, Trump ordered the bombing of a Syrian airbase in response to what he said was a chemical attack that killed 86 people.
The strike involved 59 Tomahawk missiles, damaged planes and buildings and killed seven people.
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