Chemical weapons watchdog team visits Syria’s Douma

By Cansu Dikme

ANKARA

A global chemical weapons watchdog team on Saturday visited Syria's Douma region to investigate a suspected chemical attack by the Bashar al-Assad-regime.

In a statement, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said a fact-finding mission visited one of the sites in Douma “to collect samples for analysis in connection with allegations of chemical weapons use on 7 April 2018".

The samples collected will be analyzed in OPCW labs, which will be followed by a report based on the results and other information and materials collected by the team.

It will be submitted to the states-parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention for their consideration.

A second visit to Douma is possible, the watchdog said.

Assad regime forces struck targets in the Damascus suburb earlier this month, allegedly using poisonous gas which left at least 78 civilians dead, according to the White Helmets, a local civil defense agency.