Watchdog announces Daesh as perpetrator of 2015 chemical attack in Syria
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) says based on "reasonable grounds", the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group used chemical weapons during attacks on the town of Marea near Aleppo in 2015.
The watchdog's Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) concluded Thursday that the units of Daesh used sulfur mustard to target several locations throughout the town on September 1, 2015.
"There are reasonable grounds to believe that on 1 September 2015, between 09:00 and 12:00 (UTC+3), during sustained attacks aimed at capturing the town of Marea, units of ISIL [Daesh] deployed sulfur mustard," reads the OPCW report.
The new report comes as Western countries have consistently accused the Syrian government of launching chemical attacks in the country. Damascus has strongly rejected all the accusations.
Syria surrendered its stockpile of chemical weapons in 2014 to a joint mission led by the United States and OPCW, which oversaw the destruction of the weaponry.
Damascus says the "staged" chemical attacks were meant to pressure the Syrian government at a time when it was making significant advances against foreign-backed terrorists across the Arab country's soil.
Providing further details of the Daesh's chemical attack, the OPCW said "No other entity possessed the means, motives, and capabilities to deploy sulfur mustard as part of an attack in Marea on 1 September, 2015."
"The chemical agent was delivered using one or more artillery guns," it said, adding, "The IIT identified several impact locations across Marea, with no discernible targeting pattern."
According to the report, at least 11 people were injured in the attack which was conducted from areas under the control of Daesh between September 1 and 3.
"Upon impact, at least six projectiles leaked a black, viscous substance with a distinct "pungent" and "garlic-like" smell," the report said.
"Eleven named individuals who came into contact with the liquid substance experienced symptoms consistent with exposure to sulfur mustard."
Sulfur mustard is a human-made chemical warfare agent that causes blistering of the skin and mucous membranes on contact.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. The Syrian government says the United States, the Israeli regime, and their Western and regional allies are materially sponsoring Takfiri terrorist groups that are engaged in destabilizing activities in the country.
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