Deputy Pentagon Spokesperson Sabrina Singh stated that the United States believes Syria possesses a stockpile of chemical weapons, adding that Washington is trying to locate them to prevent their use.
Speaking to reporters, Singh said: "Thanks to the efforts of our other partners, we are working to ensure these chemical weapons do not fall into the hands of those who intend to use them against civilians, our U.S. forces, or our partners in the region. We do not have U.S. forces engaged in 'hunting them down.'”
At the same time, she declined to disclose information about who these partners are, whether the U.S. shares intelligence with them, or the potential locations of these weapons in Syria.
Earlier, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) stated that it is monitoring recent developments in Syria and urged the country to comply with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention. The organization believes Syria’s declaration about its chemical weapons program "cannot be considered accurate or complete."
Syrian authorities have repeatedly stated in the past that they have not used chemical weapons against civilians or terrorists. They assert that the country's entire chemical arsenal was removed from Syria under OPCW supervision. In January 2016, the OPCW announced the complete destruction of Syria's chemical arsenal. The organization was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 for its efforts in dismantling Syria's chemical weapons program.
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