UNITED NATIONS, September 10 (RIA Novosti) – A toxic chemical was used “systematically and repeatedly” earlier this year in northern Syria, the Organization for the Prevention of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said Wednesday, citing “compelling confirmation.”
The OPCW fact-finding mission, however, did not say who had used the chemical. The fact-finding mission was appointed by OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu in April 2014 to examine alleged uses of chlorine gas as a weapon in Syria.
Back on June 17, the OPCW issued a less detailed, preliminary report that its review of the evidence supported such allegations.
In its second report on Wednesday, the fact-finding mission said chlorine was used in attacks on the villages of Talmanes, Al Tamanah and Kafr Zeta, all located in northern Syria.
The fact-finding mission on Wednesday stated that “the descriptions, physical properties, behavior of the gas, and signs and symptoms resulting from exposure, as well as the response of patients to the treatment, leads the fact-finding mission to conclude with a high degree of confidence that chlorine, either pure or in mixture, is the toxic chemical in question.”
OPCW Director-General Uzumcu has asked the fact-finding mission to continue its work.
