Toxic Truths

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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s troops were responsible for the 2018 chemical weapons attack in the Syrian town of Douma that killed 43 civilians, according to an extensive investigation by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the Washington Post reported.

The global chemical weapons watchdog released a report over the weekend after investigators went through 1.86 terabytes of data, interviewed 66 witnesses and evaluated data from 70 samples.

The new 139-page report detailed how one helicopter of the Syrian “Tiger Forces” Elite Unit dropped two cylinders containing toxic chlorine gas on two apartment buildings in Douma on April 7, 2018.

The attack was part of a military offensive by Assad’s forces as they pushed rebel fighters from the outskirts of Damascus during the country’s civil war. The OPCW released a report that year confirming there was a chemical attack, but had no mandate to assign blame.

Western nations condemned the attack and launched airstrikes against Syrian government targets. But Syria and its ally, Russia, denied involvement.

Still, the OPCW noted in its report that Moscow was coordinating with Syrian forces in Douma before and after the attack. It added that Russia was also engaged in an aggressive effort – including disinformation campaigns – to shield Syria from blame.

The report did not find evidence of direct Russian involvement in the attack.

The findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting that the Syrian military and affiliate militias have launched more than 300 chemical attacks throughout the ongoing war, using weapons ranging from nerve agents to chlorine bombs.

The United Nations says more than 300,000 people have been killed during the civil conflict which has raged for almost 12 years.