Russia: White Helmets staged 9 chemical attack videos in Idlib
(Baonghean.vn) - The Russian military confirmed on September 12 that the White Helmets organization had filmed at least nine videos as evidence accusing the Syrian government of carrying out a chemical weapons attack using chlorine gas against civilians in Idlib.
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| Image of White Helmets claiming to be the aftermath of a suspected chemical attack in Douma, Syria on April 7. Photo: Reuters |
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Russian Center for Reconciliation in Syria said that several Middle Eastern TV channels and a regional branch of an American news agency “shot nine videos, in the city of Jisr al-Shughur in Idlib province, of a staged chemical attack” that will be blamed on the Syrian government.
The Russian statement said all the videos showed activists from the White Helmets organization, appearing to be providing assistance to civilians.
The Russian military detailed that on September 11, the White Helmets and Tahrir al-Sham (al-Qaeda in Syria) terrorists held a meeting after the filming, where two of the nine tapes were selected for later transfer to the United Nations and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The remaining footage will be used for dissemination on social media networks due to poor image quality.
At the same time, in the same statement, Russian officials confirmed that since September 9, the White Helmets have organized chemical attack drills in Khan Shaykhun, asserting that these drills involved about 30 civilians, including more than a dozen children aged 8-12.
Other Russian military statements said the White Helmets and terrorists were preparing “to actually use chlorine-based poisons” on the participants in the fake video.
The preparation of the sites where the toxic explosions were filmed was carried out by members of the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist organization Hurras al-Din.
The gunmen selected 22 children and their parents from several villages in Aleppo province to act out fake chemical weapons attacks.
Another group of children, including orphans kidnapped from refugee camps and used for filming the killings, is currently being held in one of the Ikab prison buildings controlled by the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group.
The Russian military confirmed that signs of preparations for a staged chemical weapons attack were recorded in Kafir-Zait, and named two villages where toxic chemicals were transferred to create a provocation.