Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Washington, SANA- A number of members of the American Congress affirmed that the use of internationally prohibited white phosphorous by the Turkish regime’s forces during its aggression on Syrian territory constitutes a war crime and a crime against humanity.
Media and human rights reports confirmed last October that there is increasing evidence on the use of white phosphorous by the Turkish regime’s forces during its aggression on Syrian territory, stressing the necessity of investigating this crime “if international law has any meaning.”
According to a letter addressed to James Jeffrey, Special Representative of the United States for Syria, which was posted on the website of Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and signed by Congress members Karen Bass, Juan Vargas and Sheila Jackson Lee the “reports issued by international organizations and personalities affirm that the Turkish forces used white phosphorous in Syria as a fire weapon against civilians, which amounts to a war crime.”
The letter criticized the position of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which refused to investigate the matter, and stated only that it was “following up the situation”, calling on Jeffrey to hold a detailed briefing to inform the Congress of the information available to the United States about the Turkish occupation forces’ use of white phosphorous against civilians.
The letter also called for a thorough, impartial and multilateral investigation into this crime, noting that samples collected from some civilians who were subjected to white phosphorous attacks are still present but are affected by the time factor and it is important to examine them quickly to document evidence on this crime, and demand to prosecute those responsible for the crime through the UN Security Council and to file a lawsuit with the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The Turkish regime forces launched an aggression last October against a number of cities, villages and towns in the countryside of Hasaka province and on the Tal Abyad area in the northern countryside of Raqqa, after US President Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of his country’s occupied forces from the Syrian territories in the framework of exchanging roles with the Turkish regime.
Ruaa al-Jazaeri
