Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirms that ISIS used mustard gas in its attack on Marea

THE HAGUE — The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirmed this week that the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist organization used mustard gas in its August and September 2015 attacks on Marea, Syria, a town near the border with Turkey, which resulted in the injury of at least 20 people and likely caused the death of one infant.

Based on the report of the OPCW fact-finding mission, which investigated chemical attacks in Syria, it was clear that the town was bombarded with conventional munitions as well as projectiles filled with chemicals.

A statement by the organization added that there are reasonable grounds to believe that on 1 September 2015, sulfur mustard, an incendiary agent, was used as a weapon.

The organization indicated that the people who were exposed to the materials developed ulcers a few hours after their exposure, stressing that twenty people suffered from symptoms of suffocation, redness in the eyes and headaches and were taken to hospital in Marea.

Residential areas in Marea were targeted by more than 30projectiles, about half of which were filled with toxic chemicals.  The projectiles were fired from areas controlled by ISIS.

The report stated that the investigation also found that mustard gas was used in an attack on Marea on 21 August 2015, which “very likely resulted in the death of at least one infant”.