The Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in Syria released a report on the Aleppo incident in northern Syria, which occurred on November 24, 2018.
The FFM published its report on October 1, 2020, with the reference number (S/1902/2020). The report stated that the information obtained, the results of the analyses, and the information provided did not allow for determining whether chemical weapons were used in the incident in the Khalidiya neighborhood and its surroundings in northwestern Aleppo.
The Fact-Finding Mission sent a team to Syria on December 3, 2018, to gather information regarding the incident, following verbal notes sent by the Syrian government to verify the incident that occurred in the Khalidiya beauty neighborhood, the local market of Nile Street, and the Defense Factories Association No. 792 in Aleppo. The mission began its investigations with a team consisting of OPCW inspectors and interpreters between January and December 2019.
The mission team visited three hospitals in Aleppo where victims were treated, collected witness statements, conducted interviews, and reviewed documents, information, videos, and photographs provided by the Syrian government. They also visited the Scientific Studies and Research Center in Jamraya near Damascus to obtain samples for sending to specialized laboratories of the OPCW.
According to medical records provided by the three hospitals visited by the Fact-Finding Mission in January 2019, the total number of victims associated with the alleged incident was 79. However, the team was informed that not all victims were recorded due to the alleged chemical incident.
The mission conducted interviews with 30 witnesses (29 victims and one technical expert) and 12 medical personnel involved in the incident.
By analyzing the information gathered during its field visit, the symptoms and signs observed in the affected individuals indicated exposure to some type of substance causing respiratory irritation. However, witness accounts did not provide information that helped determine the source of the projectile, and the reported fragments could not be linked to the incident, according to the mission’s report.
The report confirmed that the location of the attack was an active combat zone covered with fragments from numerous explosions and various types of munitions. Given that only six fragments were delivered to the Fact-Finding Mission, from different munitions and without any clear distinctive features, the team could not determine the type of munition and could not confirm whether the fragments were related to the mentioned incident or whether they contained chemical substances.
The report concluded that despite the analysis of information, witness testimonies, results of environmental and biomedical analyses, expert opinions, and other data, the findings did not allow the Fact-Finding Mission to determine whether chemical weapons were used in the incident in the Khalidiya beauty neighborhood and its surroundings in northwestern Aleppo.
Aleppo assad_regime chemical_attack FFM opcw syria
