UN says Syrian army has 'repeatedly' used chemical weapons

UN special inspectors announced that Syrian military forces have used chemical weapons more than 12 times since the beginning of the civil war, with the attack on Khan Sheikhoun being one of them. Reuters reported on Wednesday (September 6) that UN war crimes inspectors stated that during the April attack on Khan Sheikhoun, which left many victims, the Syrian air force used chemical weapons. A UN committee responsible for addressing this issue announced that their latest findings indicate that government aircraft used sarin gas in the Khan Sheikhoun attack, resulting in the deaths of 80 civilians. This committee also reported its failure to investigate the airstrikes in March on a mosque in the village of al-Jina in Aleppo, which left 38 dead, including many children. According to this report, the weapon used in the Khan Sheikhoun attack was previously identified as an odorless nerve agent containing sarin. However, the report did not specifically state who ordered the use of these sarin-containing weapons. The UN report indicates that the Syrian army continues to use chemical weapons against civilians in areas controlled by opposition forces. According to this report, the UN has labeled the Syrian air force's attacks on Khan Sheikhoun and Idlib with sarin gas, which caused the deaths of dozens of women and children, as 'war crimes.' Reuters also noted that in the 14th UN report on this matter since 2011, inspectors have documented 33 chemical attacks by the army during the civil war. Of these, 27 attacks, including seven chemical attacks between March 1 and July 7, were carried out by Bashar al-Assad's government. UN inspectors have stated that they have yet to identify the perpetrators of chemical weapons use in six other cases. This report comes as Bashar al-Assad's government has repeatedly denied any use of chemical weapons against its opponents. The Syrian army claims that in the Khan Sheikhoun attack, it targeted a munitions depot belonging to the rebels, a claim that has been rejected by UN inspectors. A joint investigation by the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons aims to identify the perpetrator of the Khan Sheikhoun attack in October. UN inspectors have interviewed 43 eyewitness victims and used satellite images and photos of bomb remnants and pre-bombing warnings to prepare their report. The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) also announced on June 27 that it had observed activities related to chemical weapons at a Syrian airbase that were used in the sarin gas attack in April. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesperson, stated that movements at the al-Shayrat airbase in Syria indicate that Damascus is preparing to use chemical weapons. The French Foreign Minister also stated on April 26 that a report from French intelligence indicates that 'without a doubt' the Assad government was responsible for the chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun in Syria. Jean-Marc Ayrault added that the analysis of samples taken from the attack site in Khan Sheikhoun 'leaves no doubt that sarin gas was used there.' Another report indicates that independent inspectors have also expressed serious concern about the coalition's attacks on civilians. Part of this report states that US forces in al-Jina and Aleppo did not take all necessary precautions to protect civilians during their attack on a mosque. Donald Trump, the President of the United States, recently announced that in response to this chemical attack, he ordered the firing of 59 'Tomahawk' missiles at the al-Shayrat airbase in Homs province, and these missiles hit that base.