Alleged Chemical Attack, April 29, 2013
This bizarre episode played out, apparently in two part with two poisons, on/around April 29, 2013, in and around Saraqeb (Idleb province, northern Syria). (It was first reported in English only on May 1 by both sides who, as usual, blame each other). The death toll is reported as two or five, with those bodies transported by rebels to Turkey for chemical analysis. Turkish sources acknoledge this and say they are doing tests. Syrian government sources say those were people kidnapped by rebels, killed by exposure to liquid chemicals in a shepherd's house.
Several others elsewhere were given breathing problems after exposed to unknown powder in plastic bags - either dropped from government helicopter on a protest, or handed to people/made to open/tossed in their faces of people rebels had somehow gathered in an area. Al-Arabiya reports the rebel version of this, and has video - including more foaming at the mouth.
There is an allegation that a certain type of plastic grenade - otherwise seen only in the hands of Jabhat al-Nusra - was used, dropped from a government helicopter.
There is confusion and apparent deception surrounding the alleged poisoning victims and their biological samples, which were later said to confirm Sarin was used in this attack.
This page is a stub, with the confusing alleged details being sorted out on the discussion page.
Sources
- French Intelligence Report: presentation and report, English versions (released 2017)
- Eliot Higgins, Bellingcat re-v0siting the case in 2017
- The Magic Grenades Monitor on Massacre Marketing, October 15, 2017.
- Syria crisis: 'Strong evidence' of chemical attack By Ian Pannell, May 16, 2013
- Some information on samples, etc. can be found at Talk:British involvement in Syria
- Was The Attack In Saraqeb Chemical Weapons, Or Something Else? Brown Moses, May 17, 2013