Syrian authorities have discovered remnants of former President Bashar al-Assadʼs secret chemical weapons program, including raw materials and munitions similar to those used in deadly gas attacks during the countryʼs civil war.
This was stated by Syriaʼs permanent representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Mohammad Qatub. His words are quoted by Reuters.
Authorities have also detained 18 suspects linked to the program, including high-ranking military, political, and technical personnel linked to the Assad-era chemical weapons network.
It is one of the clearest indications yet that remnants of Syriaʼs chemical arsenal may still exist after the collapse of the Assad government. The OPCW Director-General Fernando Arias has previously warned that airstrikes on Syrian military sites after the regime falls could risk contaminating the area and possibly destroying evidence related to chemical weapons investigations.
For more than a decade, OPCW has repeatedly accused Syria of failing to fully disclose details of its chemical weapons program. International investigators have cited gaps, inconsistencies, and discrepancies in Syriaʼs declarations of its stockpiles and chemical activities. OPCW previously concluded that there was sufficient evidence to believe that the Syrian military used chemical weapons in an attack in the town of Douma in 2018 and elsewhere during the civil war.
Statements by the new government indicate that it is trying to identify and eliminate what remains of the former Assad regimeʼs chemical weapons infrastructure.
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