A Press Statement about the Khan Sheikhoun Chemical Attack in Idlib Province
The joint report by Syrians for Truth and Justice-STJ and Justice for Life Organization about the Khan Sheikhoun chemical attack, located in Idlib province on April 4, 2017, documented up to 103 casulties and more than 450 injured people as a result to the city bombardment with poisnous chemicals by war aircrafts affiliated to the Syrian air force, according to everyone’s accounts whom the (field research team) interviewed.
This is the second largest toxic chemical attack in Syria follwoing the largest apocalyptic of the Eastern Ghouta chemical attack in Damascus countryside and in al-Mo’adamya on August 21, 2013.
The report is based in its methodology on more than 15 accounts and interviews which the (field research team), authorized by the two organizations, was tasked to go tho the city to inspect the area and meet the survivors, the injured, eyewitnesses, medical staffs, the Civil Defense teams and families of the dead; all with an integrated complete plan about the people who should be interviewed to get as much information as possible.
In addition, the team perpared and wrote the final copy of the report after analyzing dozens of video tapes and images especially those related to the dead or the injured in order to verify their credibility and check the symptoms that were shown on the wounded or the casaulties.
The report detailed many symptoms that showed on the victims and on the dead in the attack according to accounts of the doctors and the injured, as well as znalysis of video tapes and images. One of the injured suffered from cough, headache and nasal irritation after visiting the impact site four hours later. Others showed symptoms of shortness in breath, constricted pupils, convulsions, foam out of the mouth, and skin eruptions. Most of these symptoms are consistent to that of exposure to the Sarin agent gas.
As a result of the attack on April 4, 2017, the city witnessed unprecedented displacement waves. The poulation declined from 63,000, including thousands of already displaced from other Syrian areas, to 54,000 after the chemical attack. The number of intenally displaced people were up to 12,500 who displaced to different parts like Syrian northern camps, according to cross sources one of the sources is (the city’s local council).
On April 7, 2017, several Syrian organizations released a press statement in wich it condemned the developments in the Syrian armed conflict and the aerial attacks on Khan Sheikhoun in the south of Idlib counteryside. The organizations called for activation of articles of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and to work pursuant to the resolution 2118 to intervene under the seventh chapter in order to protect civilians and prevent the reccurence of the use of intenationally banned weapons.
