Photograph by Bixentro
A UN report has confirmed that sarin gas was used in a rocket attack on the Ghouta suburb of Damascus on 21st August, although it has not attributed blame.
The UN investigative mission confirmed “unequivocally and objectively, that chemical weapons have been used in Syria” in a report [PDF] published today.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said:
The Mission has concluded that chemical weapons were used on a relatively large scale in the Ghouta area of Damascus in the context of the ongoing conflict in Syria. The attack resulted in numerous casualties, particularly among civilians.
The mission collected biomedical samples, including from hair, urine and blood from 50 survivors of the attack, as well as documenting and collecting samples from impact sites and munitions.
Survivors reported that following an attack, they quickly experienced “a range of symptoms, including shortness of breath, disorientation, eye irritation, blurred vision, nausea, vomiting and general weakness. Many eventually lost consciousness.”
The Mission also interviewed nine nurses and seven treating physicians, several of whom responded immediately to the incident. They reported seeing a large number of people lying in the streets without external signs of injury, some with laboured breathing, most of them unconscious.
On the basis of the scientific analysis and investigations the mission concluded that there was “clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used in the Ein Tarma, Moadamiyah and Zalmalka in the Ghouta area of Damascus”. However, due to security concerns, the mission were not able to confirm the total number of casualties from the attack.
Ban Ki-moon described the attack as:
“A war crime and a grave violation of the 1925 Protocol and other rules of customary international law”
