Beirut [Lebanon], May 28: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) reported on Wednesday that it has discovered large quantities of undeclared chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria.
The Netherlands-based authority said that its inspectors, working alongside the Syrian authorities, found dozens of chemical weapons at several locations in May.
The OPCW has previously accused the Assad government of using chemical weapons during the civil war, allegations the regime has consistently denied.
The organization said it found weapons of the same type used in the Ghouta chemical weapons attack in August 2013, in Ltamenah in March 2017 and in Khan Shaykhun in April 2017.
Technical equipment and thousands of pages of documents related to the Syrian chemical weapons programme were also found. The discoveries were made in areas around Hama, Homs, and Latakia - regions that served as strongholds of the former Assad government during the civil war, it added.
Meanwhile, Syrian sources report that 18 people have been detained in connection with the former chemical weapons programme. The state news agency SANA said those detained include senior officers, former experts, and members of the security apparatus.
Source: Qatar Tribune