This story is free to read.

OPCW probe: Sarin used in deadly April 5 attack in Syria

FILE - In this April 4, 2017 file photo, victims of a suspected chemical weapons attack lie on the ground, in Khan Sheikhoun, in the northern province of Idlib, Syria. Syria’s government and its ally Russia accused Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2017, of concocting a “provocation” in Syria, which would then be blamed on President Bashar Assad’s government as alleged use of chemical weapons to justify an attack. In a statement carried by the official news agency, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said it rejects U.S. allegations that Syria was preparing for a chemical weapons attack, describing such accusations as “misleading” and “completely baseless.” (Alaa Alyousef via AP, File) FILE - In this April 4, 2017 file photo, victims of a suspected chemical weapons attack lie on the ground, in Khan Sheikhoun, in the northern province of Idlib, Syria. Syria’s government and its ally Russia accused Washington, Thursday, June 29, 2017, of concocting a “provocation” in Syria, which would then be blamed on President Bashar Assad’s government as alleged use of chemical weapons to justify an attack. In a statement carried by the official news agency, Syria’s Foreign Ministry said it rejects U.S. allegations that Syria was preparing for a chemical weapons attack, describing such accusations as “misleading” and “completely baseless.” (Alaa Alyousef via AP, File)

By Associated Press June 30, 2017 1 min read

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) – An investigation by the international chemical weapons watchdog has confirmed that sarin nerve gas was used in a deadly April 4 attack on a Syrian town.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons confirmed the findings of the investigation in a statement Friday. The attack on Khan Sheikhoun in Syria’s Idlib province left more than 90 people dead, including women and children.

OPCW Director-General Ahmet Uzumcu has condemned the attack as an “atrocity” and says the “perpetrators of this horrific attack must be held accountable for their crimes.”

The investigation did not apportion blame. Its findings will be used by a joint United Nations-OPCW investigation team to assess who was responsible.