At Least 40 Members Of White Helmets Admit Staging Syria Chemical Attacks - Study
Fahad Shabbir (@FahadShabbir) Published April 26, 2019 | 12:10 AM
UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th April, 2019) At least 40 members of the White Helmets organization have admitted during recent interviews that they staged chemical attacks in Syria to provoke retaliation against President Bashar Assad, Foundation for the Study of Democracy Director Maxim Grigoriev said on Thursday as he unveiled the results of a new study at the United Nations.
"We have interviewed ... 40 members of the White Helmets, including those from Douma, who provided a detailed description of their methods commonly used by their organization to fake scenes," Grigoriev said.
The foundation conducted a fact-finding mission in Syria and located both White Helmets members and dozens of other people who participated in the staged attacks, Grigoriev said.
"Those people told us in detail how they had to participate in the staging for few Dollars to buy some food for their families," he said.
One woman recounted how she was given white burial shroud to wrap herself up in and then told to lay on the ground and smear her mouth with toothpaste, Grigoriev said.
Another recalled being told to "close his eyes" as he was filmed being taken to a medical center by members of the White Helmets.
"Amar Al Mustafa Ibn Mohammad from Aleppo saw with his own eyes how they simulated a chemical attack, they brought children, laid them down, put civilians away and filmed children as if they died in the chemical attack," Grigoriev said.
A White Helmets member in Douma told the investigators that local children were given candies as rewards for their participation in the staged videos.
Grigoriev pointed out that the investigation cast considerable doubt on the findings of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which blamed Assad for chemical attacks in Syria's Douma in 2018.
The OPCW's conclusions relied on falsified facts and untrustworthy or unidentified sources, he noted.
In March, the OPCW issued its final report on the investigation regarding the incident of alleged use of toxic chemicals as a weapon in Duma, Syria, in April 2018, which identified chlorine as "most likely" chemical agent used in the attack.
The facts presented in the foundation's investigation "confirm that the OPCW has deliberately failed to conduct an impartial assessment of the incident in Douma and raise doubts as to what else the organization is capable of making ... in the future," Grigoriev said.
The Foundation for the Study of Democracy interviewed 15 witnesses at the site of the Douma attack, 40 members of the White Helmets who admitted faking attacks, and more than 25 others who saw the White Helmets stage the attacks. It also analyzed photographs and videos of the incident.
The White Helmets, also known as Syria Civil Defense (SCD), operates in parts of rebel-controlled Syria and Turkey and claims to be a group of volunteer rescue workers.
The Syrian and Russian governments have accused the White Helmets of staging several provocations involving chemical weapons to justify potential foreign interventions and the presence of foreign forces in Syria, as well as carry arms and support terrorist groups.
The OPCW investigation was launched after the White Helmets group published a video of the reported attack in Douma, which is located in the Damascus neighborhood of Eastern Ghouta. The video showed local residents, both adults and children, being treated in the hospital after the alleged attack.
The reports about the attack and the publication of the footage by the White Helmets prompted missile strikes by France, the United Kingdom and the United States on alleged chemical weapons production facilities in Damascus.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that the claims about the alleged use of toxic chemicals by the Syrian government were aimed at justifying external military action.
Related Topics
Recent Stories
ADB reaffirms continued support to Pakistan
OIC Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir calls for early resolution of J&K dispute
Yango joins hands with Discover Pakistan to present and preserve the country’s ..
Saudi govt, companies consider Pakistan high priority economic opportunity: Ibra ..
Saudi Crown Prince expected to visit Pakistan this month
Currency Rate In Pakistan - Dollar, Euro, Pound, Riyal Rates On 6 May 2024
Today Gold Rate in Pakistan 06 May 2024
Dubai Mum Becomes the First Ever Pakistani Woman to Climb 11 of the 14 Highest M ..
Over 37% Tobacco tax increase suggested to save lives, boost revenue
Mohsin Naqvi has offered a substantial incentive, pledging $100,000 to every pla ..
Citizens join Al Barsha Police in “An Hour for Dubai” Initiative
Art can be a powerful tool to relieve stress, Experts say at Sharjah Children’ ..
More Stories From World
-
Mbappe and PSG aim to seize moment in Champions League semi-final
7 minutes ago -
Israel army says about 100,000 people being evacuated from east Rafah
18 minutes ago -
Putin orders nuclear drills with troops near Ukraine
48 minutes ago -
China's Shenzhen home to more superchargers than petrol stations
57 minutes ago -
Ode to joy: How Austria shaped Beethoven's Ninth
58 minutes ago -
Lebanon's Hezbollah says fired dozens of rockets at Israeli base
58 minutes ago
-
China to expedite building modern eco-environment monitoring system
1 hour ago -
Putin orders nuclear drills with troops near Ukraine
1 hour ago -
'Sound of silence' for troubled Milan as Juve inch towards Champions League
1 hour ago -
Wildfires increase in Mongolia
1 hour ago -
McLaren's Norris wins Miami Grand Prix
1 hour ago -
EU's soaring far-right parties set to stay
1 hour ago