Russia Calls on Chemical Weapons Watchdog to Visit Syria's Aleppo
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Russian Defense Ministry said Friday it wanted the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to urgently send a mission to Aleppo, saying it had evidence Takfiri terrorists had used chemical weapons there.
The ministry said earlier Friday it had found evidence that there was a high probability that the militants had used chlorine gas and white phosphorous on the south-west edge of Aleppo in district 1070, Reuters reported.
It said it was basing its information on a study of soil samples, unexploded shells, and shrapnel.
Major-General Igor Konashenkov, the ministry's spokesman, said Russia would now hand over the evidence to the OPCW and wanted The Hague-based body to urgently send a team to Aleppo to gather its own evidence.
He said Russian forces stood ready to help OPCW experts carry out their work in Aleppo.
