On January 27, 2023, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons Investigation and Identification Team, released its third report, which concluded the involvement of the Syrian regime’s air forces in the chemical weapons attack on April 7, 2018, in Douma.
The report was based on a comprehensive study of a mass of evidence gathered and analyzed. The ‘International Technology Institute’ concluded that a helicopter belonging to the Syrian elite unit (Tiger Forces) dropped two yellow cylinders containing toxic chlorine gas on two residential buildings in a populated civilian area in Douma on April 7, 2018, causing the death of 43 people and dozens of injured.
The working team examined the physical evidence collected and provided by experts of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons and other member states and entities.
The report includes 70 vital environmental and medical samples, 66 witness testimonies, and other verified data such as forensic analysis, satellite images, gas dispersion modeling, and trajectory simulation. The evidence was examined by IT investigators, analysts, and many independent external experts.
The independent Iraqi team considered several possible scenarios and tested their validity against the evidence they collected and analyzed to end with a conclusion: that the Syrian Arab Air Force committed this attack.
The report’s conclusion was based on reasonable grounds, a criterion of proof continuously upheld by fact-finding bodies and international investigative committees. The Information and Communications Technology Institute conducted its investigation between January 2021 and December 2022.
Director-General Arrias added, ‘The world now knows the facts, and it’s time for the international community to take action, within and beyond the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.