Chemical weapons watchdog investigates attacks in Syria's eastern Ghouta

The world's chemical weaponswatchdog is investigating recent attacks in the besieged,rebel-held Syrian region of eastern Ghouta to determine whetherbanned munitions were used, sources told Reuters.

The Hague-based Organization for the Prohibition of ChemicalWeapons (OPCW) opened an investigation on Sunday into reports ofthe repeated use of chlorine bombs this month in the districtnear the Syrian capital, diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Political leaders in France, the United States and UnitedKingdom said this month they would back targeted military actionagainst Damascus if there were proof of chemical weapons use byforces under President Bashar al-Assad.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson reiterated that pledge on Tuesday, voicingsupport for limited strikes if there is "incontrovertibleevidence" of the Syrian's government involvement.

The investigation comes as Russia ordered the establishmentof an evacuation corridor and five-hour daily truce to allowresidents to leave eastern Ghouta, where 400,000 people areliving under siege and bombardment.

Among the attacksthe OPCW's fact-finding team will examineis one on Sunday. Local health authorities said achild was killed, and the attack caused symptoms consistent with exposure to chlorinegas, the sources said.

The OPCW did not immediately respond to a request forcomment.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because theywere not permitted to discuss the operation in public.

Use of chlorine as a chemical weapons is prohibited underthe 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. If inhaled, chlorine gasturns into hydrochloric acid in the lungs and the buildup offluids can drown victims.

Gathering evidence

The latest OPCW mission is seeking to determine whetherchemical weapons were used in violation of the international weapons convention, which Syria signed in 2013 after hundredsdied in a massive sarin gas attack in Ghouta.

The OPCW will not assign blame.

"OPCW's technical secretariat continues to examine allcredible allegations of chemical weapons use, reported by mediaor other sources, including the most recent allegations," itsaid when asked about the investigation into the Ghouta attacks.

The team does not intend to travel to Ghouta because ofsafety concerns two previous visits by inspectors in 2013 and2014 were ambushed but will gather witness testimony,photographic and video evidence, and interview medical experts.

The United States fired 59 cruise missiles at Syria'sShayrat airbase in April, saying it had been used by Assad's forces to carry out a sarin attack on Khan Sheikhoun that killedmore than 80 people, many of them women and children.

Syria and its close ally Russia, which provides militarysupport to Assad's forces, deny using chemical weapons and blameinsurgents.

A UN-OPCW Joint Investigative Mechanism, established bythe United Nations to identify those responsible for chemicalweapons attacks, saidin 2016 that Syrian government forceshad used chlorine as a chemical weapon in three cases.

It concluded last year that Syrian government forces werealso behind the sarin nerve agent attack on Khan Sheikhoun. Arenewal of the mission's mandate was vetoed by Moscow at theUNSecurity Council.

The use of chemical weapons has become systematic in Syria'sseven-year war, but political rifts between Western powers andRussia have hamstrung the United Nations and the OPCW, leavingthem unable to act against violations of international law.