Autopsy confirms use of chemical weapons in Syria attack

LOS ANGELES, United States (Kurdistan24) – An autopsy revealed chemical weapons were used in the Tuesday attack on Syria’s province of Idlib, according to Turkey’s justice minister.

Thirty-two victims of Tuesday’s assault were transported to Turkey, and three have died since then.

“Autopsies were carried out on three of the bodies after they were brought from Idlib,” Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said, quoted by the state-run Anadolu news agency.

“The results of the autopsy confirm that chemical weapons were used,” he continued.

“This scientific investigation also confirms that [Bashar al-Assad] used chemical weapons,” Bozdag added, without giving further details.

Turkey, who was a sworn enemy of Syrian President Assad, later changed its policy and sided with the Iran-Russia-Syria alliance.

However, its interventions in Syria were recently stopped, and the old hostility remained intact.

Although it was widely believed the attacks on Khan Sheikhoun were carried out by the Syrian regime, the government denied any involvement.

“[The] chemical attack was carried out to blame it on the Syrian government,” Syrian lawmaker Halid Abud said. “It is a way for Western countries to put pressure on Syria.”

While the Syrian regime outright denied the attack, Russia claimed Syrian jets conducting legitimate strikes had hit a rebel weapons facility.

Major General Igor Konashenkov, from the Russian defense ministry, said a destroyed warehouse was used to produce and store shells containing toxic gas to be sent to Iraq.

The statement carried by Russian state media, claiming to be “fully objective and verified,” was devoid of evidence.

Hasan Haj Ali, a commander of the Free Idlib Army rebel group, called the Russian statement a “lie.”

“Everyone saw the plane while it was bombing with gas,” he told Reuters.

“Likewise, all the civilians in the area know that there are no military positions there or places for the manufacture [of weapons],” he added.

“The various factions of the opposition are not capable of producing these substances,” Ali concluded.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany