Chemical weapons watchdog blames Islamic State for 2015 Syria attack
Amsterdam, The Netherlands Reuters The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons on Thursday identified Islamic State militants in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) as the likely perpetrator of a chemical weapons attack in Marea, Syria, on 1st September, 2015. There were “reasonable grounds to believe that on 1 September 2015, during sustained attacks aimed at capturing […]
Syrians lead push to create global chemical weapons tribunal
The Hague, The Netherlands/Beirut, LebanonReuters Illegal chemical weapons attacks killed and injured thousands during Syria’s civil war, many of them children, but more than a decade later, the perpetrators go unpunished. That could change under an initiative to create a new tribunal for such atrocities launched in The Hague on Thursday. Safaa Kamel, 35, a […]
Essay: Conflict pollution, washed-up landmines and military emissions – here’s how war trashes the environment
In an article first published on The Conversation, STACEY PIZZINO, JO DURHAM and MICHAEL WALLER, of The University of Queensland in Australia, look at the environmental costs of war…
Syria denies OPCW’s findings on chemical weapon attack in 2018
Reuters Syria’s foreign ministry said on Saturday that a report by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons that found the Syrian Government was responsible for a chemical weapon attack on the rebel-held Syrian city of Douma in 2018 lacked any evidence, and denied the allegations. The global chemical weapons watchdog said on Friday […]
“Life was completely erased”: Syria gas attack victims, awaiting justice, say impunity fuels war crimes
KHALIL ASHAWI and TOM PERRY, of Reuters, report on the long wait for justice for Syrians whose families were killed in poison gas attacks during the country’s long-running war…
WHO says making contingency plans for possible “chemical assaults” in Ukraine
Geneva, SwitzerlandReuters The World Health Organization’s European head said on Thursday that the body was preparing for possible “chemical assaults” in Ukraine, in a sign it is taking warnings that have emerged from both the West and Moscow seriously. “Given the uncertainties of the current situation, there are no assurances that the war will not […]
Biden says Putin is weighing use of chemical weapons in Ukraine
Washington DC, USReuters Russia’s false accusations that Kyiv has biological and chemical weapons illustrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering using them himself in his war against Ukraine, US President Joe Biden said on Monday, without citing evidence. Putin’s “back is against the wall and now he’s talking about new false flags he’s setting […]
Breaking: US, UK and France launch missiles into Syria
Updated: 6pm, 14th April, 2018The US, UK and France have launched more than 100 missiles into Syria, targeting chemical weapons production and research sites after the prohibited weapons were reportedly used in an attack in the Syrian town of Douma last weekend, killing dozens. US President Donald Trump announced the “precision strikes” on Friday night. […]
After Syrian gas attack, Pope Francis calls on world leaders: “End this tragedy”
RNS A civil defence member breathes through an oxygen mask after what rescue workers described as a suspected gas attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in rebel-held Idlib, Syria, on 4th April, 2017. PICTURE: Reuters/Ammar Abdullah Pope Francis condemned the suspected chemical weapons attack that killed over 100 people in Syria and renewed his […]