LONDON: A cache of previously undeclared chemical weapons from the Assad era has been uncovered by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons’ technical secretariat and Syria’s interim authorities, exposing a potential security threat should other remaining stockpiles fall into the wrong hands.
The disclosure came in the OPCW’s May 26 monthly update on Syria, which outlined both the scale of the discovery and its potential consequences.
Inspectors found dozens of chemical munitions not previously declared to the organization, including aerial bombs matching those used in attacks on Hama’s Ltamenah in March 2017 and Khan Shaykhun in Aleppo in April 2017.
They also identified rockets of the same type used in the August 2013 attack on the Ghouta agricultural belt around Damascus.
Syrian authorities have arrested 18 suspects for alleged involvement in Assad’s chemical weapons program, including senior military, political and technical officials, Reuters reported, citing Mohamad Katoub, Syria’s permanent representative to the OPCW in The Hague.
