OPCW Finds Undeclared Chemical Weapons in Syria

The new Syrian leadership has announced the discovery of remains from former President Bashar al-Assad’s secret chemical weapons program. According to a Syrian official, authorities uncovered chemical agents, missiles and aerial bombs similar to those used in deadly attacks during the country’s civil war.

Authorities have also detained 18 people suspected of involvement in the program, including former senior military and technical officials from the Assad regime. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said inspections in Syria uncovered dozens of previously undeclared chemical weapons and related equipment.

Investigators found more than 70 rockets and bombs, along with raw materials used to produce the nerve agent sarin. Assad’s forces used sarin in attacks on Ghouta in 2013 and Al-Lataminah in 2017.

Following the fall of the Assad regime, Syria has pledged to cooperate with Western countries and international organizations in dismantling the remnants of its chemical arsenal, which authorities say continues to pose a security threat.

(reuters, mja)