Assad-era chemical weapons found in Syria, says Watchdog

Dozens of previously undeclared chemical bombs and rockets left over from when then-President Bashar Assad ruled Syria have been found in the country in the past few weeks, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said in a report on Wednesday.

The OPCW, the global chemical weapons watchdog based in The Hague, said in its May report that its inspectors were able to inspect “high-priority undeclared locations” since the start of month. “Dozens of undeclared chemical munitions such as aerial bombs and rockets... have been found at several of these undeclared locations,” the report said.

When Syria joined the OPCW in 2013, it claimed chemical weapons were present at 26 locations in the country, but the watchdog has said it has reason to believe the country has an additional 100 sites.