A child is treated in a hospital in Douma, eastern Ghouta in Syria, after what a Syria medical relief group claims was a suspected chemical attack April, 7, 2018. Pcture taken April 7, 2018. White Helmets/Handout via REUTERS
New York Times: Most Chemical Attacks in Syria Get Little Attention. Here Are 34 Confirmed Cases.
A suspected chemical attack that killed dozens of Syrians in Douma, a rebel-held town near Damascus, drew promises of retaliation from President Trump days after he instructed his military commanders to quickly end American involvement in Syria.
But if chemical weapons were used in the attack — which Mr. Trump blamed on the Syrian government as well as its Russian and Iranian allies — it would be the latest in a string of such attacks in Syria in the last five years. Syria, Russia and Iran all denied that the Syrian government used chemical weapons.
The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic says it has confirmed at least 34 chemical attacks since 2013, many of which it said used chlorine or sarin, a nerve agent, and were conducted by the Syrian government. The commission, which is currently investigating the attack on Douma, is an independent body established by the United Nations Human Rights Council to investigate human rights violations in Syria.
It is likely that there have been more than these 34 confirmed chemical attacks in Syria. Rolando Gomez, a spokesman for the United Nations Human Rights Council, said that the commission was unable to verify reports of chemical attacks in 2015 because of a lack of access during that time.
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WNU Editor: Other groups are reporting higher numbers. Human Rights Watch has reported that there have been 85 chemical attacks since 2013, based on its analysis of reports verified by various sources, including United Nations investigations and Amnesty International. And the American ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki R. Haley, accused the Syrian government on Friday of using chemical weapons at least 50 times since 2011.
