NEW YORK – A joint investigation by the United Nations and the global chemical weapons watchdog on Wednesday found that Syrian government troops were responsible for two toxic gas attacks and that Islamic State militants used sulfur mustard gas, according to a report.
The year-long U.N. and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) inquiry — unanimously authorized by the U.N. Security Council — focused on nine attacks in seven areas of Syria, where a separate OPCW fact-finding investigation had already determined that chemical weapons had likely been used.
The results set the stage for a Security Council showdown between the five veto-wielding powers, likely pitting Russia and China against the United States, Britain and France over whether sanctions should be imposed in the wake of the inquiry.
MICHELLE NICHOLS