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U.N. inquiry blames Syrian military for chlorine bomb attacks - source
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS | Fri Sep 16, 2016 | 12:15pm EDT
Exclusive: U.N. inquiry blames Syrian military for chlorine bomb attacks - source
By Anthony Deutsch, John Irish and Michelle Nichols | THE HAGUE/UNITED NATIONS
An international inquiry has identified two Syrian Air Force helicopter squadrons and two other military units it holds responsible for chlorine gas attacks on civilians, a Western diplomat told Reuters.
The finding by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, is based on Western and regional intelligence, the diplomat said.
"It was the 22nd Division, the 63rd Brigade and the 255 and 253 squadrons of the Syrian government," the envoy said.
The identification of specific military institutions responsible for attacks could strengthen a push by some Western members of the U.N. Security Council for a robust response, focused on sanctions and accountability.
President Bashar al-Assad's government has denied using toxic gas on the battlefield, and said it will cooperate with the OPCW over accusations it has used poison gas against insurgent-held areas during Syria's civil war.
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Exclusive: U.N. inquiry blames Syrian military for chlorine bomb attacks - source
By Anthony Deutsch, John Irish and Michelle Nichols | THE HAGUE/UNITED NATIONS
An international inquiry has identified two Syrian Air Force helicopter squadrons and two other military units it holds responsible for chlorine gas attacks on civilians, a Western diplomat told Reuters.
The finding by the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the global chemical weapons watchdog, is based on Western and regional intelligence, the diplomat said.
"It was the 22nd Division, the 63rd Brigade and the 255 and 253 squadrons of the Syrian government," the envoy said.
The identification of specific military institutions responsible for attacks could strengthen a push by some Western members of the U.N. Security Council for a robust response, focused on sanctions and accountability.
President Bashar al-Assad's government has denied using toxic gas on the battlefield, and said it will cooperate with the OPCW over accusations it has used poison gas against insurgent-held areas during Syria's civil war.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-chemicalweapons-idUSKCN11M1UU
