OPCW blames Syria gov't for 2018 chlorine gas attack in Douma

Also: Watchdog blames Syria for 2018 Douma chemical attack (BBC)

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Source: Al Jazeera

OPCW blames Syria gov’t for 2018 chlorine gas attack in Douma

Chemical weapons watchdog concludes that a Syrian air force helicopter dropped two cylinders ‘containing toxic chlorine gas on two apartment buildings’ in rebel-held town five years ago.

27 Jan 2023

The global chemical weapons watchdog has concluded there are “reasonable grounds” to believe that Syrian government forces carried out a chemical weapons attack in a rebel-held town that killed dozens of people nearly five years ago.

On April 7, 2018, at least one helicopter of the Syrian army’s elite Tiger Forces unit “dropped two yellow cylinders containing toxic chlorine gas on two apartment buildings in a civilian-inhabited area in Douma, killing 43 named individuals and affecting dozens more”, inspectors at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a report released on Friday.

The watchdog said it came to its conclusions after analysing physical evidence, including 70 environmental and biomedical samples; 66 witness statements; and other verified data, such as forensic analyses and satellite images.

It noted that the “reasonable grounds” degree of certainty is the standard of proof consistently adopted by international fact-finding bodies and commissions of inquiry that investigate potential violations of international law.

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Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/27/opcw-blames-syria-government-forces-for-2018-douma-chlorine-gas-attack

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Source: BBC

Watchdog blames Syria for 2018 Douma chemical attack

27 January 2023

The world chemical weapons watchdog has said Syrian forces carried out a chlorine gas attack on Douma in 2018 that killed 43 people.

The attack was part of efforts to remove rebels from the outskirts of Damascus in the decade-long war.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said a Syrian army helicopter had dropped toxic chlorine gas cylinders on civilian areas.

The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons.

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Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-64424831