(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The conclusions made by a UN-led probe report which accuse Syrian government force of using chlorine gas lack "physical evidence," said Syrian Ambassador Bashar Jaafari here on Tuesday.
"The conclusions contained in the report were totally based on statements made by witnesses presented by the terrorist armed groups," said Jaafari. "Therefore these conclusions lack any physical evidence, whether by samples or attested medical reports that chlorine was used."
The report, provided by a Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM) of the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), claimed "information suggests the involvement of both the government and other actors" in alleged chemical attacks in Syria.
The report notes that the so-called Islamic State has used sulfur mustard in one attack.
Chemical attacks are believed to have taken place in several areas in Syria over the past years. In August, 2015, the UN Security Council established JIM to identify the perpetrators of the deadly chlorine gas attacks in Syria.
Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura estimates that over 400,000 people have been killed in the conflict in Syria. The UN has stopped its official casualty count in Syria, citing its inability to verify the figures it receives from various sources.
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