Press Releases: Release of FFM Report on April 4, 2017, Khan Shaykhun Sarin Attack
Media Note
Today, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) Fact¬ Finding Mission (FFM) issued a report confirming that sarin or a sarin-like chemical weapon was used on April 4, 2017, in Khan Shaykhun, Syria. The FFM’s conclusion is based on a wide range of information, including the results of analysis of biomedical samples taken from the victims and the surrounding environment, and extensive witness interviews.
The FFM report will now be conveyed to the OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), the additional independent international expert mechanism established by the UN Security Council, to determine who is responsible for the attack.
The United States strongly supports the FFM and JIM efforts, which have been pursued in an impartial and highly professional manner.
The facts reflect a despicable and highly dangerous record of chemical weapons use by the Assad regime. Through its continued use of chemical weapons and its failure to destroy its chemical weapons program in its entirety, Syria continues to fail to comply with its legal obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) and UN Security Council Resolution 2118.