WikiLeaks Releases New Documents On OPCW Report On Alleged Chemical Attack In Syria's Duma

Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks on Friday made public more leaked documents from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to shed some light on the accuracy of its investigation on the alleged 2018 chemical attack in the Syrian city of Duma

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th December, 2019) Whistleblowing website WikiLeaks on Friday made public more leaked documents from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to shed some light on the accuracy of its investigation on the alleged 2018 chemical attack in the Syrian city of Duma.

Earlier this year, WikiLeaks published several damning leaked documents about the OPCW probe into the Duma incident, including those suggesting that the final report had been significantly doctored and misrepresented facts obtained during missions on the ground.

"Today WikiLeaks releases more internal documents from the OPCW regarding the investigation into the alleged chemical attack in Douma in April 2018," the organization said on its website.

When the incident was first reported, the West promptly placed the blame on Damascus.

However, the Syrian government denied any involvement, saying that the attack was staged by local militants and non-governmental organization White Helmets. A week after the incident, without waiting for the results of the international investigation, the United States, the United Kingdom and France hit what they called Damascus' chemical weapons facilities with over 100 missiles in response to the reported attack.

The OPCW visited the site of the incident to conduct a probe, but not immediately after the alleged attack. In March 2019, it issued a report on its investigation, saying that chlorine was "most likely" the chemical agent used in the incident but stopped short of apportioning blame.