The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Tuesday that its Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) had obtained evidence of the use of chemical weapon in Syrian city of Kafr Zita on October 1 2016
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st February, 2022) The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Tuesday that its Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) had obtained evidence of the use of chemical weapon in Syrian city of Kafr Zita on October 1 2016.
"The FFM obtained information regarding the 1 October 2016 incident in Kafr Zeita through several activities and from different surces. The FFM was able to conduct interviews with witnesses and obtain digital evidence," the OPCW said in a report.
According to an OPCW press release, on October 1, 2016, two industrial chlorine cylinders containing toxic gas were used near a field hospital, as a result of which about 20 people suffered from suffocation and breathing problems.
"The FFM was able to positively link the chlorine cylinder to the 1 October 2016 incident. The FFM found that the cylinder ruptured as a result of mechanical force and released a toxic irritant substance that affects the respiratory system and mucus membranes," the OPCW said.
After the largest gas attack in August 2013 in the Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, Syria joined the Chemical Weapons Convention. This was the result of an agreement between Russia and the United States on the destruction of chemical weapons in the country under the control of the OPCW and stopped the US military intervention in Syria. Chemical weapons stockpiles were successfully removed from Syria; in January 2016, the OPCW announced the complete elimination of the country's chemical arsenal.
Russia and the Syrian government have repeatedly accused the OPCW of bias in its investigations into incidents in the Arab Republic and questioned the conclusions drawn by the technical secretariat. The Syrian authorities stated that they never used chemical weapons against civilians and terrorists, and the entire chemical arsenal of the country was removed from Syria under the auspices of the OPCW.
