The Syrian Coalition welcomes condemnation by the OPCW Executive Council of the use of chlorine gas in Syria. The decision came in response to the latest Fact Finding Mission (FFM) report which found “with a high degree of confidence” that chlorine was used on three villages in northern Syria from April to August last year, killing 13 people.
The FFM’s report also said that 32 of the 37 people interviewed “saw or heard the sound of a helicopter over the village at the time of the attack, with barrel bombs containing toxic chemicals,” which clearly points to regime’s culpability since it is the only side that has such deliverance capabilities.
Political Committee member Hadi al-Bahra welcomes the OPCW Executive Council’s move, criticizing the negative role played by the Iranian regime to block the issuance of such reports, which adds to its support for the continuation of the killing and destruction in Syria.
“As the world focuses on ISIS’s crimes, vicious as they are, Assad’s forces continue to use a policy of collective punishment against the civilian population in Syria. Despite the UN Security Council banning their use, regime forces continue to use barrel bombs and chlorine gas in populated areas, targeting crowded markets and residential blocks. It is vital that the perpetrators of such heinous crimes against innocent civilians are stopped immediately and that justice takes its course, Bahra said. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
