In an attempt to convince the U.S. Congress to approve a military strike against Syria and the Bashar al-Assad regime for its alleged use of chemical weapons, the Obama administration is showing disturbing videos of the alleged attack's aftermath to legislators.
The videos show men, women and children dead, convulsing or shaking, in reaction to the alleged chemical attack in the suburbs of Damascus on Aug. 21. Previously posted online, CNN obtained 13 videos that the administration is showing to senators in closed-door meetings ahead of next week's Congress vote.
See also: War in Syria: A Timeline of Key Events Since Chemical Attacks
The attack was allegedly carried out by the al-Assad regime, and the U.S. government believes 1,429 people were killed as a result. Videos of the alleged attack previously surfaced online immediately after it took place, but this appears to be the first time that the Obama administration is using footage obtained from the Internet to convince Congress that there is a need to punish al-Assad.
In its unclassified assessment on the alleged chemical attack, the White House cited social-media sources, referring to "one hundred videos attributed to the attack, many of which show large numbers of bodies exhibiting physical signs consistent with, but not unique to, nerve agent exposure."
On Sunday, CNN aired portions of the videos in a report, embedded below. Warning: The following video shows extremely graphic content. Viewer discretion is advised.

Image: Abo Shuja/AFP/Getty Images Topics: Barack Obama, Bashar Al-Assad, Syria, U.S., US & World, war, World
Image: Abo Shuja/AFP/Getty Images