US Again Accuses Syrian Regime of Using Chlorine as Chemical Weapon
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pananba/iStock/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) — The U.S. State Department is once again accusing the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria of using chlorine as a chemical weapon.
A statement from Secretary of State John Kerry said that the U.S. “is deeply disturbed” by reports of the latest use of chlorine as a weapon, this time in the town of Sarmin on March 16. “We are looking very closely into this matter and considering next steps,” Kerry added.
“While we cannot yet confirm details, if true, this would be only the latest tragic example of the Assad regime’s atrocities against the Syrian people,” Kerry wrote, calling for the condemnation of the international community.
Kerry further called the Assad regime’s “horrifying pattern of using chlorine as a chemical weapon” proof that it continues to “flour international standards and norms.”
“As has been well documented, the Assad regime continues to terrorize the people of Syria through indiscriminate airstrikes, barrel bombings, arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, murder, and starvation,” the statement continued.
Last year, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said it had found “compelling confirmation” of the regime’s repeated use of chlorine as a weapon.
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