Assad's poison gas legacy: one secret laboratory at a time

Assad's poison gas legacy: one secret laboratory at a time

Damascus, Syria - People in the Jaramana district of Damascus always felt that something strange was going on in the nearby government security facility. The government site, which was heavily secured during the civil war, was not accessible to anyone except the regime's troops.

Discovery of a secret laboratory

When Islamist rebels defeated the Syrian dictator in December Bashar al-Assad fell, local residents rushed to see the place themselves. Inside, they found what appeared to be a secret laboratory filled with potentially toxic substances that could be used to make illegal drugs or chemical weapons, as well as an explosives workshop.

Chemical hazards and their verification

Last month, CNN visited in the company of the Syrian Civil Defense Organization, also known as White Helmets, the site and witnessed the team's chemical detectors repeatedly sounding the alarm, indicating the presence of toxic materials.

The images and videos CNN shared with independent experts of the facility suggested it was a chemical lab, likely for research rather than production. The White Helmets and experts noted that further investigation was needed to find out exactly what happened at this location. This also includes the special evaluation of samples and a thorough inspection of the site and the documents found there.

Accusations against the Assad regime

The Assad regime has been accused by the United States and other countries of being involved in illegal drug production and trafficking. Since the fall of the regime, a video has emerged that purports to be evidence of a... large-scale production of the highly addictive drug Captagon.

Experts and international watchdog groups have also long pointed out that the previous government used chemical agents in attacks against its own people and continued to produce them despite signing a treaty banning chemical weapons. The United Nations reported in 2013 that “ clear and convincing evidence for the use of the nerve agent sarin in Syria.

A deep secret

Farouq Habib, deputy executive director of the White Helmets, told CNN that he felt the facility was a research laboratory related to the Assad regime's chemical weapons programs. However, his organization could only make a final statement after further specialized tests.

“The regime claimed many years ago that it had disposed of all chemical weapons, but we knew that it continued to use them,” he said, leafing through documents found at the site.

The dangers for the local population

The discovery of the laboratory and the potential dangers to civilians led to the White Helmets being called in. A local Druze leader had raised the alarm after a pharmacist pointed out the potentially toxic materials stored at the facility.

Like many other government buildings, this site was looted after regime troops withdrew. Windows were smashed, electrical wiring and anything valuable was stolen. The Druze leader said his main concern is the risk the facility poses to residents, particularly if it is further compromised.

There are concerns that the suspected stockpile of dangerous chemical weapons, which are considered illegal under international law, could end up in the wrong hands. For this reason, the White Helmets are working frantically to find and secure these sites.

A dangerous mission

The White Helmets members were dressed in full protective gear when they were called to the scene. With broken glass covering the floor of the building, every step had to be carefully considered as a small tear in the protective suit could be fatal.

The White Helmets were trained to carry out such dangerous missions. Many of them have already responded to chemical attacks against civilians; often at great personal risk, as the group has been systematically persecuted by the Assad regime in the past.

They worked late into the night without taking a break, even though their alarms signaled high contamination levels in the damp, cockroach-infested basement. They did not finish their work until well after midnight, when most of the chemicals were moved to a safe location to prevent further contamination and endangerment of the local population.

The next day, they buried the materials in an unspecified, remote location in the desert, where they would remain until they could be safely disposed of. This mission was completed, but there was no rest for the team.

Habib stressed that his team is committed to continuing to look for locations like the one in Jaramana. "These materials, if we do not secure and dispose of them soon, could fall into the wrong hands and be used against the Syrian people or others elsewhere. This is a global threat to humanity," he said. “We should all be united to put an end to this.”