Study Finds Government Responsible For Vast Majority Of Chemical Attacks

The government was responsible for about 98 percent of the hundreds of documented chemical attacks in Syria since 2012, according to a new study by the Global Public Policy Institute in Berlin cited by NPR News. 

Released on Sunday, "Nowhere to Hide: The Logic of Chemical Weapons Use in Syria," identifies at least 336 confirmed attacks since 2012, the majority carried out by the Assad government or forces loyal to it. 

Most of the attacks involved chlorine, but sarin and sulfur mustard agents were also used. About 89 percent of the attacks used a dispersal system similar to conventional barrel bomb attacks. 

The regime "consistently prioritized striking population centers over rebel positions," says the study. Assad did not just get away with the attacks "but succeeded in using them for strategic ends." 

The open-source investigation attributed about 2 percent of the chemical attacks to ISIS. 

About 90 percent of the attacks came after August 2013, when President Obama made his "red-line" speech against chemical weapons in Syria. 

After that speech, Russia brokered an agreement that was supposed to remove all chemical weapon stockpiles in the country. 

Chlorine is produced domestically and used for civilian purposes, such as cleaning products and water purification, and was not part of the deal. 

The use of chlorine nevertheless violates the Chemical Weapons Convention, of which Syria is a signatory, noted the State Dept. in 2014.