Image source: Syria TV
The final days of March 2017 were a nightmare for the residents of Al-Lataminah, a town in northern Hama province, Syria. These days are painfully remembered for three chemical attacks that resulted in dozens of deaths and injuries. The Syrian regime carried out these attacks on a town known for its opposition to the government, leaving wounds that continue to fester years later.
Three Chemical Attacks in One Week
The first chemical attack occurred on March 24, 2017. A warplane departing from Shayrat Airbase in southern Homs dropped an “M-4000” bomb containing sarin gas on southern Al-Lataminah. The attack injured at least 16 people.
On the same day, Al-Lataminah endured more than 100 airstrikes within 24 hours, including barrel bombs loaded with toxic chlorine gas. The attacks coincided with ongoing battles in rural Hama between opposition forces and the Syrian regime. Chlorine, napalm, and phosphorus bombs reportedly killed about ten people, most of whom were civilians.
Before the community could recover, a helicopter attacked Al-Lataminah Hospital with a cylinder containing chlorine gas. The attack, which occurred at 3 p.m. on the same day, injured at least 30 people.
Less than a week later, on March 30, 2017, a Sukhoi Su-22 jet from the Syrian regime’s 50th Brigade of the 22nd Air Division flew out of Shayrat Airbase. It dropped an “M-4000” bomb containing sarin gas on southern Al-Lataminah. The attack resulted in at least 60 casualties.
International Response and Accountability
Three years after these incidents, on April 8, 2020, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) released a report assigning responsibility for the attacks to the Syrian regime. The report detailed how military aircraft from Shayrat Airbase were involved in the strikes and confirmed the use of sarin and chlorine gas.
The OPCW report concluded that these attacks could not have been carried out without the knowledge and authorization of senior Syrian military officials. However, the organization emphasized that it lacks judicial authority and called for the matter to be addressed by the UN Security Council and signatories to the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The Syrian regime dismissed the OPCW report as “misleading and fabricated.” The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through state media, claimed the findings were based on sources manipulated by “terrorists.”
Despite this denial, the report received international condemnation. UN Secretary-General António Guterres emphasized the necessity of holding those responsible for chemical attacks in Syria accountable. The US Department of State declared the OPCW’s findings as further evidence of the Syrian regime’s ongoing use of chemical weapons against its population.
Conversely, Russia rejected the report’s conclusions, citing alleged flaws in the investigation process and claiming it relied on testimony from groups like the White Helmets, which Moscow labeled as “terrorist.”
The Cost of Chemical Warfare
The Syrian Network for Human Rights has documented at least 222 instances of chemical weapons use by the Syrian regime between December 2012 and April 2020. These attacks resulted in over 1,510 fatalities, including 205 children and 260 women.
Activist Mahmoud Hamwi, a witness to the Al-Lataminah attacks, stated that the Syrian people have lost hope of seeing the regime held accountable for its crimes. Despite extensive documentation, evidence, and testimonies submitted to international organizations, the UN Security Council has yet to issue a resolution condemning these atrocities.
Hamwi highlighted the regime’s history of violence in Al-Lataminah, which included over 9,000 attacks 3,500 involving barrel bombs and 18 using chemical weapons. He described the despair among residents who feel abandoned by the international community.
The attacks on Al-Lataminah remain a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of chemical warfare and the urgent need for international accountability to prevent such tragedies in the future.
chemical_attack chemical_weapons Ltamenah syria
