Post date: Sep 10, 2013 9:45:13 PM
New evidence points to the Syrian government as the perpetrator of chemical weapons attacks on two Damascus suburbs, according to a new Human Rights Watch report.
SAID TO BE EASTERN GHUTAH, SYRIA (U.S. GOVERNMENT HANDOUT) - Evidence strongly suggests Syrian government forces were responsible for a poison gas attack that killed more than 1,400 people, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday (September 10), contradicting repeated denials by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The U.S.-based rights group, in a report issued in New York, said it had reached its conclusion after analyzing witness accounts, information of the likely source of the attacks, remnants of the weapons used and medical records of victims."Well we've looked at all the evidence available and we've interviewed witnesses, victims, doctors, arms experts and we believe that all the evidence is pointing to the Syrian government as being the likely culprit for the chemical attack of August 21st. We have seen other theories that are being circulated saying that maybe somehow the rebels would have been responsible for this attack but when you look at this attack it simply doesn't add up," said Phillipe Bolopoin, the U.N. director forHuman Rights Watch.
The chemical weapons attack near Damascus on August 21 killed more than 1,400 people. Syriahas been torn by a bitter civil conflict between Assad's troops and rebel forces who want to end the Assad family's four-decade rule.
The Human Rights Watch report comes as the United States pushes for congressional approval for military strikes on Syria and as U.S. President Barack Obama explores a Russian proposal to putSyria's chemical weapons under international control.
Obama has argued that Assad must be punished for the use of poison gas on rebel areas, but his plan faces significant resistance from U.S. lawmakers who are worried that a strike could draw the U.S. into the conflict and spark wider conflicts in the Middle East.
"Without being allowed to investigate on the ground it's very difficult to be 100 percent sure. And in fact we have to wait for the report of the U.N. experts who were able to collect physical samples to tell us exactly what gas was used. We believe it is probably Sarin or another weapons grade chemical of this type but there is a lot of information available. We were able to have chemical arms experts look at high resolution pictures of the shells that were likely used in the attack. We looked at satellite pictures of where the different attacks took place. We look at a lot of videos that we authentificated first. We talked to doctors, to witnesses who told us where the shells were coming from. So when you take all these elements and look at them very closely there is only one theory that emerges and it's the Syrian government that is responsible for the attack," Bolopoin said.
Assad, in an interview on the U.S. CBS television network, denied there was any evidence to link his government to the gas attack and warned the United States to expect reprisals for any military strike on his country.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) said it also investigated suggestions the chemical attacks came from opposition forces.
Looking ahead Bolopoin said HRW views "Russia's sudden willingness to re-engage with theSecurity Council with a healthy dose of skepticism."
The United States and its allies also remain skeptical about the Russian proposal and Obama sought to keep the pressure on Syria by maintaining his drive for congressional backing for a possible military strike while exploring a diplomatic alternative.
France wants a binding U.N. Security Council resolution that would provide a framework for controlling and eliminating the weapons and says that Syria would face "extremely serious" consequences if it violated the conditions.