US Representative calls for investigation of Turkish chemical attacks on civilians

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – US representative Ilhan Omar, citing allegations by the Kurdish Red Crescent and other organizations, called for a full investigation of Turkey’s alleged use of white phosphorus against civilians in northern Syria.

In a letter written on Tuesday to US Special Representative for Syria Engagement James Jeffrey, Omar and three other members of congress demanded a full investigation of possible war crimes perpetrated against Kurdish civilians in the Syrian town of Sari Kani (Ras Al-Ain) on October 16, 2019. 

In the immediate aftermath of that attack, Kurdish military, political and health officials accused the Turkish military and its Syrian proxies of using prohibited weapons against Syrian Democratic Forces fighters and civilians.

A Free Burma Rangers volunteer who was in Syria on a humanitarian aid mission when the Sari Kani attack occurred told Rudaw, “There’s lots of civilians that showed up with severe burns in Tel Tamr when Sari Kani was hit.” However, he could not ascertain whether the burns were caused by chemical weapons or conventional weapons.

White phosphorus is pyrophoric, meaning it self-ignites on contact with air, and causes severe, painful burns. The use of white phosphorus and other prohibited chemical weapons in Syria has been documented throughout the Syrian Civil War.

The use of incendiary weapons against civilians or against military targets in civilian areas is banned under international law by both the Geneva Conventions and the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons. Turkey is not a signatory to the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons.

In her letter to Special Representative James Jeffrey, Omar cited allegations from “organizations and individuals on the ground, including the Kurdish Red Crescent” that “Turkey’s use was targeted at civilians, and falls under the category of illegitimate use.”

In the same paragraph, she added, “If the intention of using white phosphorus was to employ its incendiary effects on a civilian population, this use might well have been a war crime.”

Representative Omar criticized Special Representative Jeffrey for failing to follow up on statements made during a House Foreign Affairs hearing on Kurdish Allies in Syria on October 23, when he said he was “looking into” allegations of chemical weapons use against civilians.

She wrote, “Considering the seriousness of the allegations, simply ‘looking into’ this matter is far from the appropriate response. Nothing short of a full and through investigation will suffice.”

She also criticized the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), an international body headquartered in The Hague, for failing to investigate the allegations.

Omar cited an article from The Times which reported that the OPCW refused to take skin samples of burn victims, possibly because NATO countries are reluctant to investigate a NATO member for likely war crimes in Syria. She stated that Turkey’s status as a NATO member made an investigation all the more necessary, calling it a “moral and strategic obligation” to hold allies to the same standards as adversaries.

She also highlighted the “appearance of impropriety” regarding a monetary donation from the Turkish government to the OPCW only one day after the attack on Sari Kani and the OPCW's later decision not to investigate the allegations against Turkey.

Omar concluded her letter by requesting a full briefing on what the United States has learned about the alleged chemical attack on October 16th, and asked Special Representative Jeffrey to address the question of whether or not the US would engage in a “full, impartial, and multilateral investigation” of the allegations against Turkey.