On the heels of talk to destroy Syria’s chemical weapon stash, the U.N. has finally confirmed that sarin gas was the cause of death in the Aug. 21 attacks in Syria.
The report, however, does not implicate the rebels or the Syrian government in the attacks.
“On the basis of the evidence obtained during the investigation of the Ghouta incident, the conclusion is that chemical weapons have been used in the ongoing conflict between the parties in the Syrian Arab Republic, also against civilians, including children, on a relatively large scale,” said the report by chief U.N. investigator Ake Sellstrom of Sweden.
“In particular, the environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used,” it said.
Most shockingly, the U.N. confirmed that sarin was used at the time of day in the early morning when the air does not move upwards, but downwards toward the ground.
“Chemical weapons use in such meteorological conditions maximizes their potential impact as the heavy gas can stay close to the ground and penetrate into lower levels of buildings and constructions where many people were seeking shelter,” it said.
The discovery is being called “the most significant confirmed use of chemical weapons against civilians since Saddam Hussein.”
Reports that Syrians were killed with the poison sarin isn’t a new development, but with the U.N’s confirmation, it solidifies Assad’s war crime and heightens the strained tension between the U.S. and Syria.
“The United Nations Mission has now confirmed, unequivocally and objectively, that chemical weapons have been used in Syria,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Council.
We’ll keep you updated on the latest.
SOURCE: Reuters
