Traces of the Assad regime's secret chemical weapons program have been found in Syria
In Syria, the new government has announced the discovery of remnants of a secret chemical weapons program from the era of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. It is also reported that 18 people suspected of involvement in this program have been detained. The investigation is ongoing in cooperation with international organizations. This was reported by Reuters.
A new investigation is unfolding in Syria regarding the former regime of Bashar al-Assad, after the transitional government announced the discovery of remnants of a secret chemical weapons program, which, according to preliminary data, may have been used during the civil war.
The investigation concerns ammunition and raw materials that, according to Syrian officials, resemble those that could have been used in chemical attacks during the 2011–2024 conflict.
Syria’s Permanent Representative to the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, Mohammad Katoub, reported that 18 individuals suspected of involvement in the development and operation of this program have already been detained as part of the investigation. “Syrian authorities have detained 18 suspects implicated in the Assad regime’s chemical weapons program,” he noted, adding that those detained include former high-ranking military, political, and technical officials.
Syria’s new government states that it has already begun cooperating with international bodies responsible for monitoring and investigating the prohibition of chemical weapons to determine the full scope and origin of the materials found, as well as the role of those involved.
According to Syrian officials, the investigation should help definitively establish how this program operated and whether any elements of it remained after the change in the country’s political regime.
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