13.12.2024 11:30
After the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the fate of the tons of chemical weapons possessed by the country remains uncertain. According to reports from international inspectors, more than 360 tons of mustard gas and 5 tons of sarin gas precursors are missing.
After the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, the fate of the tons of chemical weapons the country possessed remains uncertain. According to a report by international inspectors, more than 360 tons of mustard gas and 5 tons of sarin gas precursors are missing.
According to secret investigation documents obtained by the Washington Post from 2016, Syrian officials claimed that these dangerous weapons "went missing during traffic accidents." However, experts suspect that some of the weapons have been deliberately hidden.
Gregory Koblentz, a disarmament expert from George Mason University, emphasized the seriousness of the situation, stating, "Even though the Assad regime has been overthrown, the shadow of chemical weapons still looms over Syria. The risk of these weapons being seized by terrorists or interest groups increases every day."
The collapse of central authority in Syria and the presence of terrorist organizations like ISIS, especially in the eastern regions, have made the fate of the missing chemical weapons a major concern for the international community. The potential disasters that could occur if even a few drops of deadly nerve agents or mustard gas from World War I fall into the wrong hands are alarming neighboring countries and the entire world.
During this critical period when the main opposition group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) is trying to establish control in the capital Damascus and other major cities, Western countries and arms control officials are calling for urgent measures to be taken.