ISIS units commit chemical attack in Syrian town in 2015 – Watchdog
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) identified on Thursday that the Islamic State (ISIS) committed the chemical attack on Sep. 1, 2015 in the town of Marea in northwest Syria.
In its fourth report, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification Team (IIT) concluded that there are reasonable grounds to believe that units of ISIS were the perpetrators of the chemical weapons attack on Sep. 1, 2015 in Marea, Aleppo Governorate.
“There are reasonable grounds to believe that on 1 September 2015, during sustained attacks aimed at capturing the town of Marea, units of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) deployed sulfur mustard,” the report read.
The IIT said that at least six projectiles leaked a black, viscous substance with a distinct “pungent” and “garlic-like” smell. And 11 individuals who came into contact with the liquid substance experienced symptoms consistent with exposure to sulfur mustard.
Founded in 2018, the IIT is tasked to identify the perpetrators of specific instances of chemical weapons use in Syria. It has identified the Syrian government forces as perpetrators of the Latamenah chemical attack in 2017, Saraqib attack in 2018, and Douma attack in 2018.
The IIT established that the chemical weapons were deployed by artillery from areas under ISIS control. “No other entity possessed the means, motives, and capabilities to deploy sulfur mustard as part of an attack in Marea on 1 September, 2015.”