The United Nations Mission to Investigate Allegations of the Use of Chemical Weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic was a

United Nations fact-finding mission A United Nations fact-finding mission, also called a United Nations commission of inquiry, is a United Nations mission carried out with the intention to discover facts. They are often sent to troubled areas. Fact-finding missions have been sent b ...

to investigate possible use of chemical weapons in

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 ...

. The mission was established by the

U.N. Secretary-general The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-g ...

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (; ; born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was his country's Minister ...

on 21 March 2013 to investigate the 19 March 2013

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 ...

that was brought to the Secretary-general's attention by the

Syrian Government Government of the Syrian Arab Republic is the union government created by the constitution of Syria where by the president is the head of state and the prime minister is the head of government. Executive power is exercised by the government. Syr ...

. On 27 March 2013, the secretary-general appointed Åke Sellström to head the mission. The mission had an

OPCW The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) is an intergovernmental organisation and the implementing body for the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which entered into force on 29 April 1997. The OPCW, with its 193 member ...

component headed by Scott Cairns and a

WHO Who or WHO may refer to: * Who (pronoun), an interrogative or relative pronoun * Who?, one of the Five Ws in journalism * World Health Organization Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Who, a creature in the Dr. Seuss book '' Horton He ...

component headed by Maurizio Barbeschi. On 16 September 2013, the mission published a report with focus on the

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 ...

that occurred on 21 August 2013. The next day, Åke Sellström and his team, answered questions about the report on a press conference. On 12 December 2013, the mission delivered its final report to the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The mission investigated 7 of 16 alleged chemical attacks: * 2012-10-17 Salquin (also spelled

Salqin Salqin ( ar, سَلْقِين, Salqīn) is a town in Syria, administratively part of Idlib Governorate. Nearby localities include Kafr Takharim to the southeast, Abu Talha to the south, Delbiya to the southwest, al-Alani to the northwest and Isqat ...

) * 2012-12-23 Homs * 2013-3-13

Darayya Darayya ( ar, دَارَيَّا, Dārayyā) is a suburb of Damascus in Syria, the centre of Darayya lying south-west of the centre of Damascus. Administratively it belongs to Rif Dimashq. History and population Darayya is one of the oldest c ...

* 2013-3-19 Khan al-Assal (also spelled

Khan al-Asal Khan al-Assal ( ar, خان العسل, Ḵān al-ʿAsal) is a district of Aleppo city in northern Syria. It is administratively a sub-district of Aleppo, which is a part of the Mount Simeon District in the Aleppo Governorate. Khan al-Assal is locat ...

) * 2013-3-19 Otaybah * 2013-3-24

Adra The Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA or ADRA International) is a humanitarian agency operated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church for the purpose of providing individual and community development and disaster relief. I ...

* 2013-4-12 to 4-14 Jobar * 2013-4-13 Sheikh Maqsood * 2013-4-25

* 2013-4-29 Saraqeb (also spelled

Saraqib Saraqib ( ar, سَرَاقِب, Sarāqib also spelled Saraqeb) is a city in northwestern Syria, administratively belonging to the Idlib Governorate, located east of Idlib. During the course of the Syrian Civil War, the city fell into rebel forces ...

) * 2013-5-14

Qasr Abu Samrah Qasr Abu Samrah ( ar, قصر أبو سمرة) is a village and archaeological site in Syria, administratively a part of the Hama District of the Hama Governorate, located northeast of Hama city. Nearby localities include Zughba to the north, al ...

* 2013-5-23

* 2013-8-21 Ghouta * 2013-8-22 Bahhariyeh (also spelled

al-Bahariyah Al-Bahariyah ( ar, البحارية) is a village in eastern Ghouta, east of Damascus city center. The village is administratively a part of the Douma District in the Rif Dimashq Governorate Rif Dimashq Governorate ( ar, محافظة ريف دم ...

) * 2013-8-24 Jobar * 2013-8-25 Ashrafiah Sahnaya (also spelled

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 in ...

) Normal text indicates that the mission did not find sufficient or credible information to further investigate the alleged chemical attacks. Bold text indicates that the mission decided to further investigate the attack.

References

{{authority control Organizations established by the United Nations International reactions to the Syrian civil war Chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war Syria and the United Nations

See also

References