Destruction Of Syria’s Chemical Weapons Begins

The destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons started on Sunday, according to an official from the mission, which involves inspectors from the UN and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The process will avert a US strike, but could be harmful to President Bashar al-Assad, who is fighting a civil war. More than 120,000 people have been killed in the conflict, which fragmented the country along sectarian lines.

Syria’s chemical weapons have been in the international spotlight since a gas attack on August 21 claimed the lives of several hundred civilians. The United States threatened retaliation against Assad’s forces, who they believe were responsible.

The official explained that Syrian forces used cutting torches and angle grinders to start “destroying munitions such as missile warheads and aerial bombs and disabling mobile and static mixing and filling units.”

He added that the Syrians are doing the actual destroying while the weapons experts “monitor, observe, verify and report” what is going on.

Witnesses reported seeing the international team leave their hotel in Damascus early on Sunday to start their work in an undisclosed location. Destroying Syria’s chemical weapons is a massive undertaking that likely won’t be completed until at least mid-2104.

The current mission, which involves inspectors from the OPCW, was endorsed by the UN Security Council. It faces the tightest deadline in the history of the watchdog group. It won’t be easy to carry out, given both how many weapons Syria has stockpiled and the bloody civil war being waged.

It is believed that Syria began its chemical program in the 1980s and 1990s, building an arsenal that reportedly contains, mustard gas, as well as the nerve agents sarin, VX, and tabun. The production facilities are scattered around the country and about 100 inspectors will be inside the country to make sure everything is destroyed.

While Syria’s chemical weapons are systematically destroyed, the US and Russia are pushing for a conference to nudge Assad and opposition forces closer to a settlement to the conflict.

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