It Begins: The Destruction of Syria’s Chemical Weapons
Many were skeptical that the chemical weapons deal brokered by Russia would bear fruit, and many more were quick to pin the blame for that pre-assumed failure on Barack Obama, but the latest word from Syria looks promising: Under U.N. Eye, Destruction of Syrian Chemical Weapons Begins.
BEIRUT—The historic destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal began on Sunday, as a team of disarmament experts hastened to comply with an international mandate to eliminate the nation’s massive chemical stockpiles by mid-2014.
Syrian personnel under international supervision used cutting torches and other tools to destroy an array of items, including missile warheads, aerial bombs and mixing and filling equipment, the United Nations said Sunday in a statement. The process will continue in coming days, the U.N. said.
The accelerated program is widely viewed as an unprecedented attempt to rid a country of its chemical arsenal under a tight deadline while a civil war still rages within the nation’s borders.