![\"\"](\"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Chlorine-likely-used-in-February-300x169.jpg\")
THE HAGUE: Global arms experts yesterday confirmed chlorine was used in a Syrian town in February leaving residents fighting for breath, as the world awaits the results of a probe into last month\u2019s alleged poison gas attack on Douma, reports AFP.<\/p>\n
A fact-finding mission by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons determined that \u201cchlorine was released from cylinders by mechanical impact in the Al Talil neighbourhood of Saraqeb\u201d on February 4, an OPCW statement said.<\/p>\n
The team\u2019s conclusions were based on finding two cylinders \u201cwhich were determined as previously containing chlorine.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition, the OPCW said environmental samples had \u201cdemonstrated the unusual presence of chlorine in the local environment\u201d.<\/p>\n
Its team had also interviewed witnesses, and found that a \u201cnumber of patients at medical facilities shortly after the incident showed signs and symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorine.\u201d<\/p>\n
In line with its mandate the watchdog did not say which side in Syria\u2019s complex seven-year-old civil war was responsible for using the chlorine. Eleven people were treated for breathing difficulties the day after Syrian government raids on Saraqeb, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cI strongly condemn the use of toxic chemicals as weapons by anyone, for any reason, and in any circumstances,\u201d said OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu.<\/p>\n
\u201cSuch acts contradict the unequivocal prohibition against chemical weapons.\u201d<\/p>\n
Results are also awaited from a difficult mission by an OPCW fact-finding team to the Syrian town of Douma, after medics and rescuers said 40 people died in a chlorine and sarin attack on April 7.<\/p>\n
The team exhumed bodies and gathered more than 100 environmental samples now being analysed in different OPCW-designated labs.<\/p>\n
The Douma attack triggered a wave of punitive missile strikes against alleged chemical weapons facilities in Syria by the United States, Britain and France.<\/p>\n
But Syria and Russia have accused Syrian volunteer rescue workers of staging shocking video footage of the alleged attack at the behest of the United States.<\/p>\n
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the results of the Douma mission would not be known \u201cbefore the end of May\u201d. \u201cWe believe that the results of the investigation will be balanced and exhaustive … and will help establish a real picture of what happened on April 7,\u201d she said in a televised briefing.<\/p>\n
Zakharova added that Moscow believed the OPCW findings \u201cwill confirm the baselessness of the contrived and unproven allegations against Damascus.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
THE HAGUE: Global arms experts yesterday confirmed chlorine was used in a Syrian town in February leaving residents fighting for breath, as the world awaits the results of a probe into last month\u2019s alleged poison gas attack on Douma, reports AFP. A fact-finding mission by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons determined that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":44138,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2,14],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\t\n