Image source: Qasioun News
February 4, 2018, was no ordinary day for the young Syrian Ahmed Ayoub in northern Syria. It marked the day of a chemical weapon attack by a Syrian regime helicopter targeting the city of Saraqib in northern Syria.
In a soft, sorrowful voice, Ayoub recalls that fateful day, explaining that he was heading with his colleague, Maisara Rahmon, to repair an internet network tower in central Saraqib after a sudden malfunction disrupted services for most subscribers.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Ayoub recounted, “While we were working on fixing the network, we heard the sound of a helicopter approaching from the east of the city. At the time, we assumed it was carrying explosive barrels typically dropped by regime helicopters. We quickly sought shelter in a nearby culvert in the city’s market area, fearing the imminent bombing.”
Ayoub described how he and his companion heard the barrels falling mid-air, gripped by unprecedented panic and fear. Strangely, unlike previous attacks, the barrels did not produce the sound of explosions. Upon exiting the culvert, Ayoub detected a peculiar smell. His body weakened, he struggled to breathe, and soon collapsed unconscious.
Saraqib Incident in the United Nations
The United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, Izumi Nakamitsu, presented the second report of the Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The report addressed the incident that occurred in Saraqib on February 4, 2018.
The report concluded that there were reasonable grounds to believe a Syrian Arab Air Force helicopter under the control of the Tiger Forces dropped at least one cylinder east of Saraqib around 9:22 PM that day, during ongoing attacks on the city. The cylinder ruptured, releasing chlorine gas over a wide area, affecting 12 identified individuals.
Nakamitsu stated, “The findings of the OPCW Investigation and Identification Team’s second report are deeply concerning. There is no justification for the use of toxic chemicals as weapons by anyone, anywhere, under any circumstances. With the issuance of this report, I reiterate my full support for the integrity, professionalism, neutrality, and objectivity of the OPCW’s work.”
She emphasized that “any use of chemical weapons is utterly unacceptable and constitutes a grave violation of international law.” Nakamitsu called for accountability for those responsible for deploying chemical weapons, regardless of their identity, stressing that failing to act would enable impunity.
A Survivor’s Testimony
After hours of oxygen therapy at Al-Shifa Hospital in the city, doctors managed to save Ayoub’s life. He, along with other city residents, was found to have been exposed to a toxic chlorine gas attack by Syrian regime helicopters. The incident uncovered details of one of the regime’s internationally prohibited chemical weapon attacks.
Ayoub describes himself as a survivor of certain death and a witness to one of the Syrian regime’s violations against civilians in opposition-controlled areas.
To this day, Ayoub continues to suffer lingering effects from the attack, including difficulty breathing, occasional dizziness, and a heightened fear triggered by loud noises or the slamming of doors.
Learning of the OPCW’s report on the Saraqib attack, in which he was both a victim and a survivor, Ayoub called on the international community to hold the Syrian regime accountable for its crimes, which have resulted in the killing and displacement of hundreds of thousands of Syrians.
A Grim Record
While Ayoub’s story serves as a testimony to this attack, hundreds of other victims have died in silence, falling prey to a series of chemical strikes carried out by the regime over nearly a decade of the Syrian revolution.
The Syrian regime has a grim record of chemical attacks on civilians in opposition-held areas, claiming the lives of hundreds through suffocation by toxic gases. These attacks were geographically widespread and timed to coincide with military operations and invasions of Syrian towns and villages.
One of the earliest attacks by the regime occurred in March 2013, targeting Khan al-Asal in Aleppo countryside. That attack claimed 20 lives and injured 80 others, including civilians and regime soldiers. It is believed that the regime tested nerve agents on a small scale in a loyalist area to shift blame onto the opposition.
The August 2013 attack on Eastern Ghouta in Damascus countryside remains the most notable, eliciting global outrage. The attack killed 1,500 civilians and injured over 5,000 others, mostly women and children.
In northern Idlib countryside, the regime conducted a chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun on April 4, 2017, killing over 100 civilians and injuring more than 400, predominantly children. This attack dealt another blow to justice and efforts to hold perpetrators accountable.
A year later, on April 7, 2018, the regime bombarded Douma—a then-opposition-controlled city—with toxic chlorine gas. At the time, the city was enduring fierce ground assaults by the regime. The chemical attack killed 150 civilians and left hundreds suffering from asphyxiation.
Reports and Consequences
An OPCW investigation confirmed the Syrian regime’s use of toxic chlorine gas in the 2018 Saraqib attack.
The report stated, “There are reasonable grounds to believe that, around 9:22 PM on February 4, 2018, a military helicopter of the Syrian Air Force under the control of the Tiger Forces dropped at least one cylinder. The cylinder ruptured, releasing chlorine gas over a wide area, affecting 12 individuals.”
Abdulaziz Al-Hamoud, a relative of victims from the Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack, remarked, “The phrase ‘impunity breeds audacity’ perfectly captures the Syrian case and its chemical massacres. The Syrian regime continues its violations against the people daily, knowing it will evade accountability.”
