OPCW blames Syria gov’t for 2018 chlorine gas attack in Douma
Al JazeeraNov 24, 2022
The Facts
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the world's chemical weapons watchdog, released a report on Friday blaming the Bashar Al Assad-led Syrian Air Force for the alleged April 2018 chlorine attack in the city of Douma.
Investigators allege that at least one helicopter of the Syrian Elite Tiger Forces Unit dropped two cylinders containing toxic chlorine gas on two apartments in a civilian-inhabited area nearly five years ago, killing 43 individuals and affecting dozens more.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Nearly five years after the Assad government carried out this atrocity to regain control of the eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus, international investigators have finally assigned blame for it. While a good first step, there's yet a long way to go to hold those responsible accountable for their crimes, as Moscow has blocked efforts to launch an International Criminal Court investigation in Syria.
Establishment-critical narrative
It was predictable that the OPCW would, at some point, blame Syria for the so-called Douma chemical attack after it had engaged in evidence suppression and excluded key investigators in previous reports. Once a technical monitoring body, the organization has been corrupted to serve Western interests against Damascus by validating unfounded allegations.
