The international chemical weapons watchdog says its fact-finding mission has confirmed that the banned nerve agent Sarin was used in northern Syria in April.
The director-general of The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Ahmet Uzumcu, said in a June 30 statement that the perpetrators of “this horrific attack” in Idlib Province must be held accountable.
The statement said the investigation concluded that, after interviewing witnesses and examining samples, "people were exposed to sarin, a chemical weapon," in the town of Khan Sheikhun on April 4.
A UN panel will now try to determine who was responsible for the incident that left more than 90 people dead and prompted a retaliatory U.S. missile strike against a Syrian airfield from where the United States said the attack had been launched.
Damascus and its ally Russia denied that the Syrian government was responsible.
"Now that we know the undeniable truth, we look forward to an independent investigation to confirm exactly who was responsible for these brutal attacks so we can find justice for the victims," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said.