Terrorist groups using CWAs in Mideast states: Russia

Russia says it has learnt that Daesh and other Takfiri terrorist groups frequently use chemical warfare agents (CWAs) in Syria and Iraq, where they have swathes of land under control.

Speaking at a news briefing in the capital city of Moscow on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow possesses information that Daesh and other militant groups in the Middle East region “have indeed gained access to components and technologies enabling them to produce” the CWAs “at least at an amateurish level.”

Zakharova went on to say that the terrorists have also started using the CWAs “in Syria and Iraq increasingly more often.”

In the past the terrorists were said to be using chlorine as a chemical weapon, she said, adding, however, that “now there is reliable and confirmed information indicating that they are employing real chemical warfare agents, such as sulfur mustard.”

The Russian diplomat further expressed concerns over the use of the CWAs by the Takfiri elements, emphasizing that they are using the weapons “for provocative purposes, including with the purpose of discrediting the Syrian government in the international community’s eyes.”

Referring to a recent report by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which confirmed the use of sulfur mustard near Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo in August this year, Zakharova also noted that while the report has not mentioned direct indications to Daesh, but with a high degree of certainty the terrorist group was behind the attack.

Daesh threat of attack against Russia

In another development on Thursday, Daesh-linked media released a video, threatening attacks in Russia “very soon,” the US-based monitoring agency SITE Intelligence Group reported.

The development came as Russia launched its first airstrikes against Takfiri terrorists in Syria on September 30 at the request of the Damascus government. Moscow says its air raids are meant to weaken Daesh and other terrorist groups that are wreaking havoc in Syria.

An affiliate of Daesh, which is based in Egypt’s troubled Sinai Peninsula, recently claimed responsibility the crash of a Russian passenger plane in the North African country. However, neither Egypt nor Russia has confirmed the claims.

An Airbus A321, run by Russia’s Kogalymavia airline, dropped off radar screens on October 31, nearly half an hour after takeoff from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. The Russian passenger plane crashed in Sinai, killing all the 224 people on board. 

The Daesh militants have been carrying out horrific acts of violence, such as public decapitations and crucifixions, against all communities, including Shias, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians in areas they have overrun.

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