Why The UN Report On Chemical Weapons In Syria Isn't Just About August 21st

It's being widely reported that the UN report on the August 21st alleged chemical attack in Damascus may be published on Monday, if not sooner, with claims that "it will provide a strong circumstantial case -- based on an examination of spent rocket casings, ammunition, and laboratory tests of soil, blood, and urine samples -- that points strongly in the direction of Syrian government culpability."

Those of you have been following the blog for the past few weeks will already know I've been spending a lot of time looking at "spent rocket casings", and that the UN has closely examined the munition I've dubbed the UMLACA (Unidentified Munition Linked to Alleged Chemical Attacks).  The evidence I've gathered seems to point towards the government being responsible for the use of these munitions, with evidence I've examined pointing towards the opposition being responsible seeming very weak.  If the UN report confirms these are chemical munitions, then it seems almost certain the government were responsible for firing them.  

What many people aren't aware of is that the same munitions are linked to at least one previous chemical attack.  Earlier on August 5th, two areas of Damascus, Douma and Adra, were hit by an alleged chemical attack, with around 400 victims reported injured in Douma, and at least a couple of dozen in Adra.  I've collected videos from the attack here, and the following video with English subtitles has one of the victims explaining what happen in Adra

There were also three other videos posted online showing the munition locals claim were used in Adra (warning - dead and dying animals in the first video)

Source

It seems clear that these are the same type of munition recovered from the August 21st attack in Eastern Ghouta, and examined by the UN.  It would seem that rather than being a freak incident, the August 21st attack was the second to occur in Damascus within 3 weeks.  It's also worth noting this video, originally posted online on June 11th, showing the remains of the same munition, with claims it was a "chemical rocket"

If the UN report does point towards these munitions being used to deliver the chemical agent, then it seems to strongly suggest the August 5th attack was also a chemical attack using the same type of munition, and might put previous alleged chemical attacks in the Damascus area in a new light.

More posted on the subject of the August 21st attacks can be found here, and other posts on chemical weapons and Syria, including extremely informative interviews with chemical weapon specialists, can be found here.

You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com.

Selected Cluster Bomb Videos October 17th - 23rd

Due to the large quantity of cluster bomb videos coming out of Syria at the moment it's not really reasonable to post endless videos of cluster bomb tail fins sticking out the ground, so I've selected some of the more interesting and unusual videos posted in the last week.

In this first video from Al Hivounah, Douma we see an excellent example of clearly marked cluster bomblets

This video from Maarrat al-Numan, Idlib shows the holes left by detonated cluster bomblets alongside bomblets that have become embedded in the ground after failing to detonate

Here we see the shrapnel left behind from exploded cluster bomblets in Kafr Tahari-m, Idlib

In this video from East Bweyda, Homs we see a cluster bomb canister's ejection rod causing difficulties for the people trying to remove it from the ground

In Alth, Idlib, this unusual video shows a cluster bomb canister tail lodged in the roof of a nearby building

The next two videos from East Bweyda, Homs, and Maarrat al-Numan, Idlib, claim to show civilians injured as result of cluster bomb attacks, but it's extremely difficult to verify the accuracy of the those claims

Human Rights Watch has put out a new report with more details of cluster bombs used in Syria in the two weeks since their last report.  I've been providing them with videos of cluster bombs during that time, and I would like to thank all of you who sent me links to videos for your help with gathering all the videos of cluster bombs in Syria.  I'm fairly confident the vast majority of videos (if not all) of cluster bombs in Syria were gathered together for this, along with many photographs.  More videos, photos, and images can be found on the HRW site, as well as this video explaining the details of the report

Related Articles
Collected Evidence Of Cluster Bombs Used In Syria
Evidence Of Cluster Bombs Being Deployed In Syria
New Cluster Bomb Evidence Emerges From Syria
A Beginner's Guide To Identifying UXO In Syria


You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com

New Cluster Bomb Videos October 17th

[Videos for October 16th]

To start with here's two pictures demonstrating extremely irresponsible behaviour with unexploded cluster bomblets, both showing AO1-Sch bomblets being held by children

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[source]

On the opposite end of the UXO handling spectrum we have this video from al-Qusayr, Homs, showing PTAB 2.5m bomblets buried in the ground marked with circles of rocks as a warning to others, an effect unfortunately ruined by the handling of one of the bomblets at the end of the video

In Armanaz, Idlib, we have a series of videos, first two showing holes left by detonating bomblets, then one showing unexploded bomblets lodged in the ground, and finally one showing the tail end of a canister

In Maarrat al-Numan, Idlib, we have this photo of AO1-Sch bomblets, including the markings "55 107 77", which if I believe shows the factory it was manufactured in, the batch, and the year of manufacture, which is an interesting consideration when looking at these bomblets

[source]

Also from the same area we have 3 PTAB 2.5m cluster bomblets

In Ketian, Idlib, we have this canister tail

And we also have these two videos from unspecified locations in Idlib, one showing a tail section, another a bomblet lodged in the ground

In Taftanaz, Idlib, we have a unexploded AO1-Sch collection including one with the markings "55 78 74", and a photo gallery of the same bomblets, including one with the markings "55 107 77", seen on the bomblet in Maarrat al-Numan, Idlib

In Douma we have a cluster bomb canister and a clearly marked PTAB 2.5m bomblet

In Babbila, Damascus, the tail section of a canister

East Bweyda, Homs has this English subtitiled video with a collection of canister and bomblets, including some with the markings "55 47 74"

Finally this video from an unknown location

Related Articles
Collected Evidence Of Cluster Bombs Used In Syria
Evidence Of Cluster Bombs Being Deployed In Syria
New Cluster Bomb Evidence Emerges From Syria
A Beginner's Guide To Identifying UXO In Syria


You can contact the author on Twitter @brown_moses or by email at brownmoses@gmail.com