OPCW confirms use of Sarin in Syria's Khan Shaykhun attack

WASHINGTON, June 30: The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement on Friday, Sarin gas was used in the attack that killed at least 84 civilians and left dozens more wounded in the Syrian city of Khan Shaykhun, Idlib province, northwestern Syria.

This comes days after the White House accused Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's government of planning to carry out another chemical attack, warning that Al Assad would pay a hefty price if he did so.

The OPCW described the attack, which occurred in rebel-held Khan Shaykhun as brutal, The Washington Post reported.

Director-General of OPCW Ahmet Uzumcu said, the perpetrators of the horrific attack that took place in April must be held accountable for their crimes.

Meanwhile, European intelligence agencies said, the samples collected from the site of the attack included evidence of the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government.

Pictures of Khan Shaykhun attack victims, which included children, prompted US President Donald Trump to order missile strikes on Al Shayrat air base from which the chemical attack was launched, according to the Post.

Chemical weapons experts said, the Syrian government used its arsenal of chemical weapons to force the evacuation of civilian areas and spread panic among the remaining civilian population there.

The Syrian army was supposed to hand over its stockpiles of chemical weapons to UN inspectors in 2014, but Western diplomats and inspectors themselves have long suspected that the Syrian forces have hid a portion of its chemical weapons stockpiles, said the paper.