Dozens of undeclared chemical weapons have been found in Syria, a global watchdog said on Tuesday, in its monthly report on its activities in the country.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said a team was deployed at the start of this month “to verify the accuracy and completeness” of Syria’s declaration about its chemical weapons stockpiles.
The search was carried out at a number of “high-priority undeclared locations” in the northern coastal and central regions, with the backing of the Syrian authorities.
“Dozens of undeclared chemical munitions such as aerial bombs and rockets, as well as separately found chemicals and related equipment… have been found at several of these undeclared locations, together with thousands of pages of documentation,” the report said.
Syria joined the OPCW in 2013 and agreed to reveal and hand over its stockpiles of toxic agents for destruction, under pressure from Russia and the United States to avoid the threat of airstrikes from Washington and its allies.
But the OPCW, based in the Dutch capital, The Hague, believes that the declaration was incomplete and that other weapons have still not been accounted for.
The chemicals and equipment found are currently being analysed and the search was ongoing, the body added.
“The outcome of this deployment will be reported in further detail in due course,” it said.
Syria’s ousted former president Bashar al-Assad was repeatedly accused of having used chemical weapons during the 13 years of civil war in the country.
Since he was removed from power in 2024, the fate of Syrian stockpiles has been a source of serious concern.
The foreign ministry of the new government in Damascus last year pledged to dismantle all traces of Assad’s chemical weapons programme.
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