The province of Idlib witnessed several attacks using toxic gases at the beginning of 2015, coinciding with extensive battles fought by various factions to gain control over the province. In response, the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) affiliated with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was tasked by the Director-General of the OPCW on May 1st, 2015, to investigate the use of toxic gas, particularly chlorine, as a weapon in Idlib Governorate, without assigning responsibility for the party that employed this weapon.
The UN mission commenced its fact-finding operations and released its report (S/1319/2015) on October 29th, 2015, after conducting interviews with witnesses including victims, first responders, and medical personnel outside the target sites due to the difficulty of accessing those areas at the time.
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission indicated that despite several non-governmental organizations having the capability to access potential witnesses for interviews, only one organization, the ” Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria ” (CVDCS), had the ability to secure witnesses and transport them to a third country for safe testimony.
The report stated that Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria (CVDCS) provided a list of approximately 150 individuals who might have information about the incidents that occurred in Idlib Governorate from mid to late March 2015. It was noted that the CVDCS identified 50 individuals willing to be interviewed, from which the team selected 30 individuals for interviews, considering factors such as age, gender, relationship to the incident (victim, eyewitness, first responder, nurse, treating physician), the number of incidents, and geographical location.
The report highlighted seven incidents investigated by the team in the following locations: Qminas, Sarmin, Binnish, Idlib City, Saraqib, al-Nayrab, and Kurin.
1 – Qminas:
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission confirmed that witness testimonies indicated the attacks occurred on March 16th, 2015, between 8-9 pm, when a helicopter dropped two “barrel bombs” over Qmenas, causing civilians to suffer from suffocation. Sixty individuals were transported for treatment to the field hospital in Sarmin, with twenty of them having moderate injuries and forty having minor injuries.
2 – Sarmin:
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission confirmed that witness testimonies indicated attacks occurred on March 16th, 23rd, 26th, and May 16th, 2015.
Witnesses reported hearing helicopters on March 16th, 2015, around 10:30 – 11:00 pm, although they did not see them. They also reported smelling chlorine. Forty-two victims were treated, with 31 at Sarmin Hospital and 11 at Saraqib Hospital. All cases were classified as ranging from moderate to severe.
The attack on Sarmin on March 16th, 2015, resulted in the death of six individuals, a whole family. A mother, father, and their eldest son died in the hospital, while a grandmother and two daughters passed away upon arrival at Sarmin Hospital.
On March 23rd, 2015, witnesses heard a helicopter dropping a barrel bomb between 1:00 – 3:00 am, resulting in five individuals sustaining minor injuries, as confirmed by a medical specialist.
On March 26th, 2015, witnesses heard a helicopter dropping a barrel bomb between 1:45 – 2:30 am on an uninhabited house, injuring six individuals, all sustaining minor injuries.
On May 16th, 2015, witnesses heard a helicopter dropping a barrel bomb around 2:00 am. A medical specialist witness mentioned four individuals, a man, a woman, and two children, with three having minor injuries and the man in moderate condition.
3 – Binnish:
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission confirmed that the attack occurred on March 23rd, 2015, at 7:00 pm. A doctor witness reported 21 injuries, including 10 minor, 10 moderate, and 1 critical case. Patients informed the treating physician that they smelled chlorine.
4 – Idlib City:
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission confirmed that attacks occurred on March 31st, April 16th, and May 16th, 2015.
On March 31st, 2015, witnesses reported seeing a helicopter dropping one “barrel bomb” near the administrative building in Idlib City and another near the Al-Mihrab roundabout between 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. Following the attack, the smell of chlorine spread, resulting in 38 individuals sustaining mild symptoms.
On April 16th, 2015, a helicopter dropped one “barrel bomb” in Idlib City between 12:30 – 1:00 am, followed by the spread of chlorine odor and 20 individuals being injured.
On May 20th, 2015, the team was unable to gather significant information.
5 – al-Nayrab:
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission confirmed that attacks occurred on April 27th, May 1st, and May 2nd, 2015.
On April 27th, an incident occurred in the morning hours without precise timing. On May 1st, an incident occurred before midnight, targeting residential neighborhoods, with reports of chlorine odor.
The incident on May 2nd, 2015, occurred at 4:30 am. The team gathered information about two fatalities, a father and his son. The team received two samples from Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria, consisting of hair and blood taken from the deceased child, but they were insufficient for laboratory analysis.
6 – Saraqib:
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission confirmed that the attack occurred on May 2nd, 2015, at 4:30 am. The approximate number of victims interviewed reached around 70 individuals, but the information was not direct. Verification from various sources such as doctors and direct witnesses was not possible. However, one witness confirmed the presence of strong chemical odors.
7 – Kurin:
A witness confirmed that in mid-April 2015, they were on a bus with six friends between 6:30 – 8:00 pm, near Kurin, when a helicopter was hovering nearby. They sought shelter from it, and afterward, they heard the sound of something falling in the air, followed by a mild explosion sound and a chlorine smell. The Fact-Finding Mission team couldn’t verify this information from other sources.
Munitions used:
The report of the Fact-Finding Mission indicated that the ordnance used in the attacks in Idlib Governorate was as follows:
– Metal cylinders “barrels” of various sizes containing:
– Multiple plastic containers
– Explosive wire
– Fuse
– Multiple connectors
The report added that the ordnance used in the shelling was dropped from a high location, where the impact marks on the front part of these ordnances were evident after the explosion. This was the case if the ordnance contained side guidance fins. However, if there were no fins, the impact was lateral. In both cases, the fall was free from the sky, especially as there was no presence of launch engine parts.
The conclusions of the Fact-Finding Mission team indicated that the blast effects suggested there wasn’t a large quantity of explosive materials in these bombs.
from FFM report S13192015Conclusions:
The Fact-Finding Mission team affiliated with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), in its conclusions, affirmed that the complex reality in Idlib Governorate didn’t permit them to visit the targeted area. However, the Chemical Violations Documentation Center of Syria managed to secure interviews in a suitable location for both parties. These interviews couldn’t result in a biased narrative, and there’s no evidence they were trained to do so.
The report further added that the testimonies of medical personnel present in areas far from the incident added credibility to the signs and symptoms observed in the victims.
The conclusions stated that the signs and symptoms were consistent with the effects caused by chemical substances primarily leading to tissue irritation, such as the nose, eyes, throat, and lungs. The evidence obtained gives the team a reasonable degree of confidence that a chemical substance affected people in various locations in Idlib Governorate.
The report revealed that chemical analysis results indicated the presence of polyethylene terephthalate, in addition to manganese, chloride, and bromide. The potassium-to-manganese ratio gives a reddish-purple color, consistent with open-source media reports, interviews, as well as appearing in photos and videos. This is consistent with the presence of potassium chloride, an oxidizing agent.
The report concluded that taken alone, none of the information sources or evidence provides particularly strong evidence regarding whether a toxic chemical was used as a weapon. However, when viewed collectively, enough facts have been gathered to conclude that the incidents in Idlib Governorate on the specified dates likely involved the use of a toxic chemical as a weapon, without definitive conclusions regarding the identification of the chemical substance, although there are indicators that the substance may contain chlorine.
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