Assad and ISIS Used Chemical Weapons?
Assad and ISIS Used Chemical Weapons?
A
A
A
ALEPPO - United Nations (UN) has found if President Bashar-al Assad and ISIS have both used chemical weapons on Syrian people. Assad has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons against his own people despite mounting evidence against him.
UN report also found the Syrian regime was responsible for dropping chemical weapons - likely chlorine gas - on two villages in Idlib in 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile ISIS were the culprits behind a mustard gas attack on a town in northern Aleppo, the report found.
The White House last night condemned the attacks and the UN is likely to impose sanctions against Assad's regime next week. The Syrian regime was found to be behind the attacks on Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and Sarmin on March 16, 2015.
In both instances, Syrian air force helicopters dropped 'a device' on houses that was followed by the 'release of a toxic substance', which in the case of Sarmin matched 'the characteristics of chlorine'.
Assad had claimed Syrian rebels or ISIS were responsible for the attacks, despite Britain, the U.S., and France pointing out that only Damascus has helicopters.
But Russia, an ally of Syria, said there was no concrete proof, leading to the commissioning of the report, written by the Joint Investigative Mechanism.
Britain, France and the United States had long maintained that only the regime has helicopters, but Russia, Damascus' ally, insisted that there was no concrete proof that Assad's forces carried out the attacks.
The report found ISIS 'was the only entity with the ability, capability, motive and the means to use sulphur mustard' in an attack on the town of Marea in northern Aleppo on August 21, 2015.
The UN commission did not have enough evidence to rule which side was responsible for six other chemical attacks in Syria.
The White House condemned the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons last night.
"It is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people. The United States will work with our international partners to seek accountability through appropriate diplomatic mechanisms. We urge all UN member states and parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, including Russia and Iran, to participate in this effort," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said.
US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power called for 'strong and swift action' by the Security Council.
"It is essential that the members of the Security Council come together to ensure consequences for those who have used chemical weapons in Syria," she said.
The UN Security Council will discuss the report next week and is likely to impose sanctions on Assad's regime.
It could also ask the International Criminal Court to investigate the matter as a war crime, but Russia is unlikely to support such a move.
"The UN Security Council should now ensure that those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice in a court of law," said Louis Charbonneau, Human Rights Watch's UN director.
A US led military intervention in Syria looked to be on the cards in 2013 until Assad agreed to hand over the country's chemical weapons stockpile. They were destroyed at sea the next year, but it now appears that Assad did not hand over all of the country's weapons.
UN report also found the Syrian regime was responsible for dropping chemical weapons - likely chlorine gas - on two villages in Idlib in 2014 and 2015. Meanwhile ISIS were the culprits behind a mustard gas attack on a town in northern Aleppo, the report found.
The White House last night condemned the attacks and the UN is likely to impose sanctions against Assad's regime next week. The Syrian regime was found to be behind the attacks on Talmenes on April 21, 2014 and Sarmin on March 16, 2015.
In both instances, Syrian air force helicopters dropped 'a device' on houses that was followed by the 'release of a toxic substance', which in the case of Sarmin matched 'the characteristics of chlorine'.
Assad had claimed Syrian rebels or ISIS were responsible for the attacks, despite Britain, the U.S., and France pointing out that only Damascus has helicopters.
But Russia, an ally of Syria, said there was no concrete proof, leading to the commissioning of the report, written by the Joint Investigative Mechanism.
Britain, France and the United States had long maintained that only the regime has helicopters, but Russia, Damascus' ally, insisted that there was no concrete proof that Assad's forces carried out the attacks.
The report found ISIS 'was the only entity with the ability, capability, motive and the means to use sulphur mustard' in an attack on the town of Marea in northern Aleppo on August 21, 2015.
The UN commission did not have enough evidence to rule which side was responsible for six other chemical attacks in Syria.
The White House condemned the Syrian regime's use of chemical weapons last night.
"It is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people. The United States will work with our international partners to seek accountability through appropriate diplomatic mechanisms. We urge all UN member states and parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention, including Russia and Iran, to participate in this effort," U.S. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said.
US Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power called for 'strong and swift action' by the Security Council.
"It is essential that the members of the Security Council come together to ensure consequences for those who have used chemical weapons in Syria," she said.
The UN Security Council will discuss the report next week and is likely to impose sanctions on Assad's regime.
It could also ask the International Criminal Court to investigate the matter as a war crime, but Russia is unlikely to support such a move.
"The UN Security Council should now ensure that those responsible for these attacks are brought to justice in a court of law," said Louis Charbonneau, Human Rights Watch's UN director.
A US led military intervention in Syria looked to be on the cards in 2013 until Assad agreed to hand over the country's chemical weapons stockpile. They were destroyed at sea the next year, but it now appears that Assad did not hand over all of the country's weapons.
(rnz)
Explore More