The Ashrafiyat Sahnaya chemical attack took place in
Ashrafiyat Sahnaya
Ashrafiyat Sahnaya ( ar, أشرفية صحنايا, ʾAshrafīyat Ṣahnāyā, also spelled Ashrafiah Sahnaya) is a city in southern Syria, administratively part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, located southwest of Damascus. Nearby localities incl ...
,
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
, on 25 August 2013. A group of
Syrian Army
" (''Guardians of the Homeland'')
, colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive
* Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki
, anniversaries = August 1st
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Six ...
soldiers were struck by an object containing
sarin
Sarin (NATO designation GB G-series, "B"">Nerve_agent#G-series.html" ;"title="hort for Nerve agent#G-series">G-series, "B" is an extremely toxic synthetic organophosphorus compound.[Syrian Army
" (''Guardians of the Homeland'')
, colors = * Service uniform: Khaki, Olive
* Combat uniform: Green, Black, Khaki
, anniversaries = August 1st
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
, battles = 1948 Arab–Israeli War
Six ...]
soldiers and opposition fighters in Ashrafiyat Sahnaya, as part of the
Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013)
The Rif Dimashq offensive (March–August 2013) was a Syrian government forces and allies offensive in the Rif Dimashq Governorate that was launched in late March 2013, as part of the Syrian Civil War.
Offensive
Push into Eastern Ghouta
Dur ...
. At around 18:00, the rebels started to throw objects with a
catapult
A catapult is a ballistic device used to launch a projectile a great distance without the aid of gunpowder or other propellants – particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. A catapult uses the sudden release of stored p ...
.
Attack
Around 20:00 an object filled with sarin was thrown at a group of five Syrian Army soldiers. The object landed 10–15 meters from them, and released a badly smelling gas. The five soldiers were immediately taken to a field medical point where they were treated with injections, eye droplets and oxygen. They were then transported to Martyr Yusuf Al Azmah Military Hospital for emergency care, where medical personnel took blood samples. The blood samples tested positive for sarin.
Aftermath
The
collected evidence "that suggests that chemical weapons were used in Ashrafia Sahnaya" "on a small scale against soldiers", but said they lacked primary information on the delivery system.
The victims were interviewed by the U.N. mission five days after the incident.
See also
*
Khan al-Assal chemical attack
The Khan al-Assal chemical attack was a chemical attack in Khan al-Assal, Aleppo, Syria on 19 March 2013, which according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights resulted in at least 26 fatalities including 16 government soldiers and 10 civil ...
*
Ghouta chemical attack
The Ghouta chemical attack, was a Chemical warfare, chemical attack carried out by the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, in the early hours of 21 August 2013 in Ghouta, Syria during the Syrian civil war. Two Syrian opposition, oppos ...
*
Jobar sarin attack
References
{{Use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Civil War
Chemical weapons attacks
Military operations of the Syrian civil war involving chemical weapons
Rif Dimashq Governorate in the Syrian civil war