Daily Caller
April 27, 2017
The Syrian government was supposed to relinquish its chemical weapons arsenal in 2014 under a deal promoted by the Obama administration, but a recently declassified French intelligence report has proven it to be an abject failure.
France’s declassified “national evaluation” examined evidence gathered from a sarin attack, which killed more than 80 civilians in the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun April 4. The report not only determined that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime was behind the attack, but also that the measures taken to ensure Assad gave up his stockpile were sorely inadequate.
“France assesses that major doubts remain as to the accuracy, exhaustiveness and sincerity of the decommissioning of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal,” the report reads. “In particular, France assesses that Syria has maintained a capacity to produce or stock sarin, despite its commitment to destroy all stocks and capacities. Lastly, France assesses that Syria has not declared tactical munitions (grenades and rockets) such as those repeatedly used since 2013.”
The Assad regime was required to disclose and relinquish its chemical weapons stockpile as part of a 2013 agreement, partially facilitated by Assad’s ally Russia. The Obama administration promoted the agreement after Assad used chemical weapons against civilians. Obama had said such actions would force a U.S. military response, but he failed to make good on the threat. Assad killed more than 1,400 civilians in the 2013 sarin attack.
This article was posted: Thursday, April 27, 2017 at 7:39 am
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