Two 'abandoned' cylinders seized in Syria contained sarin - U.N.

[bemildred]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - Two cylinders reportedly seized by Syrian government troops in an area controlled by armed opposition groups contained deadly sarin, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a letter to the U.N. Security Council published on Monday.

Ban said that on June 14, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) United Nations Joint Mission overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical stockpile analyzed the contents of the cylinders.

"The Joint Mission confirmed that these contained sarin," said Ban's letter. The letter said the cylinders were "reportedly seized by the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic in August 2013 in an area reportedly under the control of armed opposition groups."

OPCW chief Ahmet Uzumcu said in a report attached to Ban's letter that the Syrian government declared the cylinders "as abandoned chemical weapons," but neither Uzumcu nor Ban stated when they were handed over to the joint mission.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/07/syria-crisis-chemicalweapons-idUSL2N0PI10M20140707?rpc=401&feedType=RSS&feedName=rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews&rpc=401

[mwrguy]

1. Nothing is perfect

This is an oulier.

[bemildred]

2. Or maybe "It's a trick!" nt

[Spitfire of ATJ]

3. WMDS!!! WMDS!!!! FEAR!!!! FEAR!!!! BOMB THEM!!!!

.......sheeze......

[agentS]

4. If this rebel group actually had it, why didn't they use it?

The rebel groups have been losing ground all year and fighting poorly. If they had chemical weapons capability, they would certainly be using it whenever and wherever they could.

[lancer78]

5. Because then they

would have lost any sympathy for their cause around the world and would be considered as big of monsters as Asad is.

[agentS]

6. haven't some rebel groups crossed that bridge already?

I recall the eating of hearts thing from last year and a few other weird and grisly things. Why not use chemical weapons if you're already into cannibalism?

[Warren Stupidity]

8. You know for a fact that they didn't?

[bemildred]

10. The implication would be that they did.

Unless one likes the idea that it's some sort of plant to discredit them.

[The Magistrate]

7. His Statement, Sir, Does Not Seem To Endorse The Claimed Provenance

Confidence in an informant's veracity is not conveyed by "reportedly seized by the armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic in August 2013 in an area reportedly under the control of armed opposition groups."

[bemildred]

9. Yes, it remains ambiguous.

The source for the provenance of the cylinders is the Syrian government. But even physical evidence cannot necessarily be relied on.

Personally, I think there are plenty of people on both sides that would not hesitate to use such weapons if they thought they could get away with it.

It would be interesting to hear ther UNSC debate on the subject, perhaps.