The Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Syria issued a report on the incident in the Yarmouk area in Damascus on October 22, 2017.
The FFM published its report on February 22, 2024, under reference number (S/2254/2024), confirming that the information provided was insufficient to determine whether chemical agents were used in the incident.
The Syrian regime submitted a request to the OPCW for an investigation into the mentioned incident, and the Director-General of the FFM was tasked with initiating the collection of facts related to the event.
The report explained that the mission sought to gather information from all available sources but faced challenges in verifying the information, such as discrepancies in the documents regarding the number of victims provided by the regime, inconsistencies in the narrative of the event, the timing of the strike, and the description of the gas at the incident site. Additionally, there was an absence of supporting documents such as medical records, photos, or videos of the munitions used.
The Syrian regime indicated that a toxic chemical attack occurred at 9:00 AM on October 22, 2017, and more than 10 victims were transferred to the Yalda Field Hospital for treatment.
The report included the results of chemical analysis from four samples in an analytical report issued by the Scientific and Technological Research Organization on September 20, 2018.
According to the report, and based on witness testimony, the number of individuals affected by the incident ranged between 5 and 17, with 2 or 3 cases considered serious. The number of victims treated at the Yalda Field Hospital ranged from 3 to 6 individuals.
The report clarified that the mission’s conclusions were reached by compiling, coordinating, and verifying the evidence obtained, and thus were not based on single, conclusive elements or evidence.
The report concluded that, based on the information obtained and analyzed as a whole, in line with the mandate of the FFM to investigate the alleged use of chemical agents as weapons in the Yarmouk area of Damascus, the information was insufficient to provide “reasonable grounds” to determine that toxic chemical agents were used as a weapon.
chemical_attack chemical_weapons Damascus FFM opcw syria
