Ankara Supports Syrian-Led Task Force on Chemical Weapons Removal

(MENAFN) Türkiye has joined an international task force aimed at assisting Syria in eliminating remnants of chemical weapons left over from the ousted Assad regime, following an invitation from the Syrian government, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources.

A decision was made on October 10, 2025, by the Executive Council of the OPCW to support Syria in accelerating the on-site destruction of these leftover chemical weapons. While the Chemical Weapons Convention assigns responsibility for destruction to individual states, the former Assad regime’s secretive chemical weapons program, lack of cooperation with the OPCW, unknown status of program records, and insufficient domestic destruction capacity prompted the creation of a mechanism to provide international assistance.

In coordination with the OPCW, the Syrian government established an international task force to locate, verify, secure, and destroy remnants of its chemical weapons program. This initiative, known as the “Breath of Freedom Task Force,” aims to provide technical, logistical, and training support to Syrian authorities while coordinating broader international assistance.

Alongside Türkiye and Syria, members of the task force include Qatar, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Canada, and the OPCW Technical Secretariat.

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