OPCW Sends Experts to Syria to Collect Data on Alleged Chemical Attack in Aleppo

MOSCOW – The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Tuesday said that it sent its Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to Syria in early January to gather data on the alleged chemical weapons attack in Aleppo.

“The OPCW Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) deployed in early January to further establish facts regarding the allegation. The FFM continues to independently collect and analyse information and will report its findings to States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention. All measures continue to be taken to ensure the safety and security of OPCW experts and personnel involved”, the OPCW spokesperson said in a statement, according to Sputnik.

On 24 November, militants fired chlorine-filled shells at two neighbourhoods of Aleppo — al-Khalidiye and Al Zahraa — along with Nile Street. People were hospitalised with asphyxiation and other symptoms typical of poisoning. According to local media reports, 107 civilians were hospitalised.

Following the attack, Russian military chemists arrived in Aleppo to monitor the situation. The Russian Defence Ministry said that 46 people, including eight children, were injured in the chemical attack. The ministry stressed that the Russian side had previously drawn attention to the fact that the White Helmets organisation was trying to organise provocations using chemical agents against the local population in the demilitarised zone around Idlib, Syria.

H.M