On 22 February, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) issued a report that found the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL)/Da’esh responsible for a chemical weapons attack on 1 September 2015 in the Marea town in northwest Syria.

The report concludes that there are reasonable grounds to believe that ISIL/Da’esh units fired artillery munitions containing sulphur mustard at various locations, affecting at least 11 persons.

The European Union strongly condemns the use of these heinous weapons.

The use of chemical weapons by anyone – be it a State or a non-State actor – anywhere, at any time and under any circumstances is a violation of international law and can amount to the most serious of international crimes - war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Impunity for these horrible acts must not be tolerated. It is now up to the international community to take appropriate action.

In light of this new report, the European Union is ready to consider introducing further measures as appropriate.

As a member of the International Partnership against Impunity for the Use of Chemical Weapons, the EU is committed to ensuring full accountability for those responsible for the use of these heinous crimes in Syria and beyond.